Oxygen
by Tawny The Disturbed
Summary: Oxygen. An element. Literally, everyone needs it and most take it for granted. Figuratively, some need it more than others. A Warren/Will slash. Rated M for swearing, violence and intensely intimate themes...Wipe that drool off of your chin.
1. First Sight

**Okay, I know I'm being unfaithful to my Lost Boys readers...but this idea had been tickling, and nagging, and it simply REFUSES to go away. Haha, so now I am a story-juggler. **

**Now, for my fellow Sky High lovers...I give you this gift of Warren/Will slash. Out of over a 1000 and half fan fictions there are a little over 50 dedicated to Warren and Will. And quite a few of them aren't even slashy! Just the usual cliche of an OC which is a writer inserting his or herself into the story haha. Don't be mad at me OCers, I enjoy an OC fan fiction from time to time! XDD**

**Here is my usual type of smart-aleck, snarky DISCLAIMER...I don't own Sky High of course, if I did, Warren and Will would have made the hell out! Or I would have just simply stolen Warren from the movie myself and ravished him all over my dining room table...XDDD**

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~**Warren's POV~**

When I saw his face, I instantly thought of his asshole father. He had the same colored hair; wore red, white and blue, and...hell he just looked like him. I watched him walk across the cafeteria with his friends. He didn't walk like his father. His steps were nervous and small while his father's were large, confident and cocky.

The entire time I was watching him, I was thinking of the night my father had come home for the first time in a long time. I remember my mother looking stern, but yet soft and understanding. Despite being a Hero, she still loved my Villain father; the one who may not have married her, but had given her me.

Dad had come to see me despite the risk.

"A boy's tenth birthday is very important. I could never miss it, son." He'd said to me. Despite feeling too old for hugs from my mom, I'd eagerly wrapped myself in my dad's arms.

He'd hardly settled the package wrapped in newspaper into my hands when everything had gone bad.

Sirens started wailing, red and blue lights were flashing and the door busted in. In came confidently striding the Commander, clad in red, white and blue.

I remember Dad's arms, shoulders and hair bursting into flame and then I remembered he pushed me across the room into my mom's arms.

Oh, I hated the name Stronghold. I hated red, white and blue together.

Little Stronghold Junior glanced over his shoulder at me and I saw him murmur with his friends. I clenched the sleeve of my leather jacket in my gloved hand. I thought of how I'd run my fingertips over the leather when I'd first unwrapped it from the newspaper; how I had first pulled it on and it had been much too big for me.

But I'd grown into my father's leather jacket. I'd grown into the powers he had passed down to me. Having found them around the time I was six, I had only been able to light up my hands. Now I could light up my arms and throw it away from me without the fire dying.

I was going to show Stronghold that. I was going to show him a goddamned flashback.

* * *

Later on, when I was heading to the front steps to enjoy my free period secluded from anything that breathed, the little twerp appeared again. Obviously his first day jitters were gone because he nearly walked straight into my. I looked down into his eyes. They were entirely sherry at first, but they quickly became nervous when he saw who he was face to face with.

His lips moved but no sound came out. He sidestepped around me, his body language reflecting his anxiousness.

I turned and looked after him. I wondered quietly if he would bruise if I hit him. I didn't know whether or not he had his father's powers. I didn't know if indestructibility meant that one couldn't feel pain, or bruise. Either way, I wanted to know how good it would feel to drive my fist into the small boy; to taste my hatred coming to life.

* * *

The locker rooms were deserted when I left the showers. That was to be expected and it wasn't new to me. Whenever I entered a room, everyone else usually shied away or fled. That didn't bother me one bit. It was what I was used to, what I expected, and what I was content with.

I went to my locker, my body already dried from the heat I steadily released, and I put in the combination.

I reveled in the reputation-induced desolation, in fact. Nobody dared to bother me on purpose; when they did by accident…well let's say that I've spent my fair share of hours in the blinding white detention room.

I thought about how vulnerable I had felt in that room the first time I'd been shoved into it in my freshman year.

I buttoned and zipped up my jeans.

I could fight without my powers, but let's face it…not being able to use your powers is like missing your writing hand.

I sat down and pulled on my boots, quickly lacing them up.

To solve that vulnerability problem, I didn't focus on it.

I pulled on my black t-shirt.

That often made me forget that whole super power neutralizing bullshit.

I yanked on my gloves and slipped on my leather jacket. I closed my locker door firmly and gave the lock a spin.

"Damn it."

My ears pricked. I looked toward the equipment room. I heard a hard metallic clunk.

I stepped quietly from the lockers. I went past the doorway to the bathroom and stepped toward the equipment room door.

* * *

~**Will's POV~**

I rubbed at my eyes in frustration. This still wasn't working. I didn't want to believe what the nurse had told me near the end of the day yesterday. I sat up on the weight bench, abandoning the 45 pound bar with the 10 pound weights on either end of it.

I hung my head. This was the second time I had come into the equipment room today to test my strength. My friends most likely didn't believe the lame excuses I had come up with as to where I was slipping off to.

I didn't want to but I imagined myself dressed up as Ron Wilson, bus driver. _Oh God…_I thought to myself, the depressing thought setting deep into my skull.

My breath seized up in my throat in a gasp when a hot hand grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the bench. I cried out in pain when my back slammed up hard against the concrete wall. And then a blunt fist jammed hard into my stomach.

Air rushed out of my lungs and I would have collapsed to my knees if it weren't for the hand holding me up by the collar of my shirt. Then my abdomen was bludgeoned three more times. I cough, desperately trying to find air.

My hands moved to clutch my stomach but a hand grabbed my wrists and dragged them up, pinning them to the wall over my head; leaving my chest entirely defenseless.

I lost count how many times that hard, strong, and angry fist smashed into me, driving the air from my lungs and making me dizzy with pain. I'd never known such agony before.

My yells of pain echoed in the equipment room, silenced by the cold walls. Then when I felt as if another punch would surely put me into a coma, the hand released me and I sunk down to the floor.

I curled up immediately, clutching at the throbbing pain that was my torso. I could feel tear tendrils streaming down my cheeks.

I could feel him glaring down at me shuddering in the fetal position. He stood there silently, listening to me gasp with each inhale and then whimper pathetically with each exhale.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Warren Peace. The darkness of his eyes made me feel insignificant. My eyes squeezed shut again when I took an adventurous breath, and was greeted with pain.

He hadn't said a single word through this whole ordeal and neither had I. It seemed that he had decided to keep it that way, for he turned and pushed through the door, leaving me curled up on the equipment room floor alone.


	2. Bathroom Stall

**Allo fellow Warren/Will slash lovers!**

**I think I spent more time rereading this chapter than I did writing it O_O**

**It lacks violence, but you know, it's a necessary trip into the minds! Read the chapter, and love it or hate it, you'd better give me critique otherwide I'll find you...Seriously, I need to know if you noticed spelling mistakes and if I can make my writing better. Enjoy reading on!**

**And by the way, I hope you don't mind the whole POV thing...**

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**~Will's POV~**

I figured that Layla had asked me about fourteen times if something was wrong. Zach had taken notice to my quietness as well and told me that I wasn't really myself the whole afternoon about four times. Ethan didn't know me that well yet. Magenta hadn't said anything and didn't know me as well either but for some reason every time she looked at me, I felt like she knew what was going on in my head. In those soft, chocolate eyes I had the fleeting feeling that she was working things out.

I of course had to ask her if she secretly could read minds as well as shape shift while we were in line for lunch.

"No. I'm just good at reading people." She said nonchalantly, not seeming to really think or care about my question. Ethan hastily agreed, "She is. Right to the point where it's freakin' creepy!" Layla rolled her eyes, and took the liberty of lightly scolding Ethan, "She's not creepy. She's just observant." She led the way into the cafeteria toward an empty side of a lunch table.

Zach murmured quietly so only we could hear, "Someone _else_ is observant too." As we sat down, my eyes darted around the cafeteria, looking for who we all knew Zach was talking about.

He wasn't eating lunch. He had a magazine or a comic book open on the table in front of him, and he was glaring my way. I quickly looked down to avoid those piercing, dark eyes.

That's what I did for the rest of the day; avoided any possible eye contact. I didn't really pay attention to my friends or teachers talking and I barely managed to nod in greeting at Ron Wilson, bus driver in his small vie for my attention.

I was silent during the fly down from Sky High. I was silent after he dropped Layla and me off at our bus stop; as well as the short walk home. Layla jabbered on about…uh…well, I wasn't paying attention. She was talking about something or other.

"You sure you're okay, Will?" She asked, pausing in front of her house. I kept walking for a couple of strides before realizing where I was. "Huh?" I turned around and looked at her. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Layla sighed, looking sympathetic, "Don't worry about it, Will. It's gonna be okay."

"Huh?"

"You'll get your powers."

"Oh…yeah. My powers."

She smiled, "You'd better get some decent sleep tonight. The teachers might not have noticed," she dug into her bag, walking forward toward me, "that you weren't paying attention, but I did. So I took some extra notes for you." She held out a couple of sheets of loose-leaf paper to me. I took it, the awe making my mouth hang open. I looked back up at her and smiled. There was a reason why Layla was my best friend. She was there for me when I needed her, whether or not I asked.

_Then I should be able to tell her about Warren Peace…shouldn't I?_

"See you later, Will." She said, walking up the sidewalk to her house. The flowers seemed to reach toward her and Layla held out her hands, brushing against them as she walked by.

I tapped the notes in my palm for a minute, watching her open her front door and disappear inside of her house, closing the door behind her. I heaved a sigh, wincing when there was a twinge of pain in my chest. I'd slowly been getting more and more sore all day.

I walked into my house after unlocking the door. I dropped my bag on the floor as I headed straight for my bathroom upstairs. Once inside, I closed the door behind me and locked it in case my parents came home early.

I licked my dry lips nervously. I stepped up to the sink and looked into the mirror. I reached for the hem of my t-shirt and slowly pulled it up.

I looked at the reflection of the marks across my skin in the mirror. Like a canvas, my torso was a matter of different colors. Red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black; like some slight fucked up internal bleeding rainbow. I ran my fingertips gently over the big fist-shaped bruises.

I wondered why I had not told anyone. I hadn't even told Layla. Well sure, I'd neglected to tell her before Power Placement that I didn't have powers, but this was more down to earth so…No…it wasn't. It was so much more complicated than that.

I shook my head, lowering the hem of my shirt to cover my abused skin. _She wouldn't understand…_

* * *

"Is there an issue, Mr. Stronghold?" Mr. Medula asked, looking down at me. I looked up at my large-headed Mad Science teacher. "It's not even been a week of school and you're already bored with my class?"

"No, Sir." I replied.

I felt Zach's eyes on me from where he sat beside me. Layla and Magenta glanced back over their shoulders at me.

I looked back up at Mr. Medula, realizing that he'd been rambling on about something. "Mr. Medula, may I please go to the bathroom?"

I watched him cross his eyes and then let out a long sigh. "Go. Take your time. I'm only teaching you about the effects of Plaserillium Kyrptonalitite which I will be presenting next week. But that doesn't matter." He waved a hand. Then he turned his head so his nose was up and he crossed his arms, as if he were giving me the silent treatment.

I sheepishly rose from my seat, feeling the whole classroom staring at me as I walked out.

I didn't pass anyone in the hallways, for which I was grateful. I pushed open the bathroom door and strode right to a sink. I turned on the cold water and splashed myself in the face with it. I repeated this three times, rubbing at my eyes. I shook my hands; water droplets left my palms and landed with a plop in the sink.

I gasped when I saw the reflection of someone standing behind me in the mirror. I whirled around and blinked, water dripping into my eye, blurring my vision. I could still see him though. Warren Peace.

My thoughts turned to our ordeal that had taken place in the equipment room the previous day. I grabbed onto the sink with both hands behind me, my breath starting to pick up.

His dark eyes were intense and hardly readable as he stared at me. It made me self-conscious; naked. I wondered is he was going to hit me again.

I winced when his hand reached toward me. But he didn't hit me. Instead he grabbed the hem of my t-shirt and yanked it up to my chin. I drew in a quiet gasp; shocked. My hands trembled against the cold, marble glass of the sink behind me.

Warren Peace stared down at the bruises he had left all over my stomach. I warily watched his features, which were still calm and stoic. I flinched a little when his eyes looked back up into mine. They were morose and watchful, like they had been the other day when I'd first seen him in the cafeteria…minus the cold glaring glint that had been in his eyes.

Then my face contorted slightly, my eyes closing as I felt his fingertips press hard against the darkest bruise that stained the skin across my abdomen.

* * *

~**Warren's POV~**

I'd caught wind of the rumors floating around while walking through the hallways. I wouldn't have heard anything if my iPod hadn't switched songs. I didn't stop and listen to anyone chatting. I just kept walking. And kept hearing little bits and pieces of the continuing story as people fanned the hell out of my way, not wanting to get caught under my boots knowing full well that I wouldn't hesitate to just mow them over.

Little Stronghold was a Sidekick. Little Stronghold, son of the Commander and Jetstream, didn't have any powers.

I found that interesting. Another thing that I had found interesting was that I hadn't been called into Powers' office by now. Sure I didn't really care if I got in trouble or not but I hadn't expected nothing in return for beating the offspring of the Commander and Jetstream so badly that he'd curled up on the floor, crying and whimpering.

Most of the night, I had lain back on my bed, expecting the Commander to magically come knocking on my front door with anger in his eyes and confrontation in his fists. I would have accepted the challenge gleefully. _Asshole…_

In the process of ditching Analyzing Hostage Situations or more commonly known as AHS, I strayed into the men's bathroom that was farthest away from the boring as hell class that even a Sidekick could understand, thinking of bumming a cigarette.

The white-washed room made his bright red shirt with blue sleeves and white cuffs stand out. The eerie glow of the sunlight coming through the windows that were near the ceiling gave one side of his head a sort of halo. I was hit with curiosity that had bloomed during my wonderings the day I'd first seen him.

I walked up behind him as he was flicking water from his palms into the sink. When he saw me in the mirror, he whirled around. He didn't bolt like I had expected him to do. He looked into my eyes cautiously, not looking like a deer in the headlights like most people did when I focused my eyes upon them. The yellowy-reddish rings around his eyes gave the impression that he'd gotten into a fight a week ago, gotten two black eyes, which were now close to being healed. But I knew they hadn't been there the previous day. I knew well enough from my observing that the boy hadn't slept well last night.

Another thing I noticed was that his face was not blanched like his reflection had been in the mirror. His cheekbones were blushed with a tint of red.

I cast my eyes down from his face, my curiosity ever growing. He flinched when I reached a hand toward him, leaning back against the sink behind him slightly. I took a hold of the hem of his shirt in my gloved fingers and dragged it up his chest. I faintly heard him gasp, and watched his stomach draw in slightly. I scanned my eyes over the bruises across his skin. I didn't remember the exact places I had drove my fist into him, or how many times, but I knew that the discolorations were my doing. They were shaped like my knuckles.

I studied his chest with quizzical vigor. I wasn't exactly sure if someone who has amazing strength and is indestructible could have bruises. Probably not. But I wasn't sure. I lifted my eyes, looking back into his. He winced again, intimidated by my critical gaze. I wondered about his ability to feel pain. If he didn't have any powers, he would very much likely feel pain with very little trouble.

Still I wasn't sure. I vaguely noted in my head that upon the next time I was allowed to visit my father in solitary, I would ask him about the Commander's powers. He would know them better than anyone for he had fought him on more than one burning, bloody occasion.

I reached forward with my opposite hand, toward the darkest patch of bruised skin. I pushed my fingertips against it, continuously applying more pressure. I watched in fascination as his eyes shut tightly, his jaw set as his teeth clenched and his lips pressed together into a pained frown.

For some reason, at that moment, I knew for sure that Stronghold was a mere mortal. I figured it was because I'd seen both mortal and super faced twist in pain for I had been no angel in grade school or middle school either.

I don't know why I found his pained mug so interesting. Sure, I was a sadist and I damn well knew it. But in my life, I had never observed some else's pain quite so…thoroughly. I had never analyzed one's reaction to hurt so closely before.

I guess I came to my senses, because I removed my hand from his bruise, let go of his shirt and turned away. That was the second time in two days that I had left him in a silent room alone.

It was impossible to work out how I felt. Had I just been getting off on Stronghold's pain? _That little horseshit…_

But then again, I wanted so badly to hurt him, to please myself with retribution. So was it technically good that I was enjoying his pain?

_Oh for fuck's sake…I'll kill that twerpy little maggot…_I grunted in frustration, and reached out to grasp the copy room door handle. It wasn't locked so I shoved open the door and closed it behind me, enclosing myself in empty darkness. I lit up my left palm, casting an orange glow in the blackness. Then I tossed it into the middle of the linoleum floor. I watched the flames wave like a small, woodless campfire for a second. Then I walked around it and sat on the table where teacher would usually drop off their copy requests. I dug out a pack from my pocket and flicked out a cigarette.

I placed it in between my lips, giving a small snap of my fingers, lighting up a small gentle flame on the end of my finger. I let it die on my finger after it was lit and took a long drag. I scissored my cig and let out a long sigh, a smoke stream fanning out before me.

_Dumbass Stronghold…he'd better stay the hell out of my way…_

A part of my shivered with excitement, restless in the thrill of the game in which Stronghold would eventually mess up; which then would cause me to retaliate.

But still, the other part of me never wanted to see his face ever again.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

After the door closed behind Warren Peace, I waited exactly 62.3512 seconds to take in a long gulp of air and let it out cautiously. It didn't exactly work. Well…it didn't work at _all_. My heart was still beating so hard against my chest that I thought that it wanted _out_.

I ran a shaky hand down my face and brushed it back through my hair, finding that my forehead was a little sweaty. I kept breathing in and out very slowly. My hands were still trembling. My knees shook as I fled into one of the two bathroom stalls. I locked the door behind me, and pressed my forehead against it.

Thank god he had been so preoccupied with my facial features, otherwise he might have noticed my…other features.

I reached down and cradled my erection that was pressing against the front of my jeans. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. I didn't exactly want to be caught jerking off in the bathroom a few days into the school year. In fact, I didn't want to be caught jerking off in the bathroom _any_ day during the school year!

But I didn't want to return to Mr. Medula's classroom with a boner trying to climb out of my jeans either…

I tried to keep my breath as steady as I could, making sure I was getting enough oxygen to my already dizzy brain. My massaging hand fumbled for a second before finding its path through the zipper of my jeans that it had managed to undo. _Stupid brain…_

I licked my lower lip, and hardly managed to stifle a sigh. I pressed my forehead hard against the stall door. I bit into my wet lip to keep from groaning at the feel of the fingers hooked around my erection. My head felt like a blanket of fog had rolled through it. My skull feeling like it truly _was_ ten pounds, but yet full of empty air. My shoulders were tense, my ears were straining, just waiting for the sound of intrusion; knowing that I was in a very public place.

Then I pressed my lips together hard, trying to stifle the cry of pain and pleasure as I let go in my hand. With a few final strokes, I let out a bated breath, and panted against the stall door. With a hazy mind, I sunk down to sit on the toilet seat and cleaned myself up with toilet paper from the dispenser. I tucked myself back into my jeans and zipped them up.

After flushing the evidence, I left the stall. And then, after washing my hands of course, I left the bathroom and went back to the Mad Science lab.

Mr. Medula was speaking when he entered from the doorway. "Next week, I'll have you observe the effects of the Plaserill…for the sake of the clean removal of yellow bicarbonate toxic waste, Mr. Stronghold, I did not mean for you to _literally _take your time! What were you doing, making boom-b, scratch that, I do not want to know. Just go back to your seat and suffer in your ignorant bliss of not knowing what'll happen during next week's lab."

I sat down, feeling very…well how would you feel after a teacher with an abnormally large head and a voice that suspiciously resembled Pleakley's voice from _Lilo & Stitch _have a small rant about you in front of your whole class?

It was funny and yet embarrassing at the same time…at the moment I found it more embarrassing than funny…


	3. A Trust Level

**Hey guys!**

**I'm really sorry that I didn't update when I said I would and that I pretty much took forever and I'm sure I deserve a good old-fashioned brainduster. I've just been having some emotional issues going on and lots of school work to do so I've been distracted. But I'ma try to be better! I have a week of vacation so WHOO!**

**XDD**

**But yeah, so this chapter is a little long but in my opinion it's a little boring, but stories need those boring chapters to give a little background! Whee! How's this for non-canon? XDD Oh and it also contains some straight sexual themes...yeah...WHICH I HAVEN'T WRITTEN FOR SO LONG NOW! SERIOUSLY I WAS SITTING THERE THINKING, "Wait, how can penis and vagina go together? I am so confused! What is the point of vagina?" **

**And it was also funny that I was listening to Big Balls by ACDC while writing this XDD**

**Oh I think I should take this oppurtunity to mention that I won't always have posts in 1st person. Ya know like, Warren's POV and Will's POV. There are some things that I feel are written better in 3rd person. There isn't any 3rd person in this chapter, I'm just giving you guys a heads up!**

**Read it, comment it and make me happy! I mean my birthday is coming up soon so I think I deserve comments! XDD**

**

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**~Warren's POV~  
**

I rubbed the wet rag over the table where the previous customer had slopped duck sauce. _Who eats the stuff anyways?_ I wondered scornfully to myself. The decorative lights lit up the restaurant, casting brilliant light upon the red walls. It made the windows that weren't covered with the red shades look like black mirror-like panes.

The clock had just stroked eight at night, the usual time things really slowed down and people stopped coming in. I guessed that the Lantern would close about fifteen minutes early tonight. Scratch that, I knew it would close fifteen minutes early tonight. I silently counted in my head, practically able to feel the owner, Shu, glancing at the clock.

I stood up straight and turned as she called over the counter to me in her language. _Hey! Go turn the sign! We are closing early tonight!  
_She, as well as her other Chinese employees, were comfortable with their language. She spoke Chinese in the kitchen where customers weren't around, and if she was yelling at an employee when customers were around, it was always in Chinese. Now that I thought about it, the only time I could remember her speaking nonchalantly in English to me was when I had first gotten a job here back during the summer before my eighth year. Otherwise, she only spoke English in personal conversations when it was really important and she had to get a caring point across.

I answered back with a simple assurance, and went over to the door and flipped the sign so the word 'closed' faced outward against the glass.

I thought about the day I had come in, attracted by the HELP WANTED sign. I spoke to a guy over the counter with his black hair slicked to part two ways, asking about the job opening in English.

I remember Shu had called from deeper in the kitchen, asking who was asking about the job opening in Chinese. The guy had answered back in Chinese with an amused tone:

_Just a white guy with long greasy hair. This Round-Eye looks like a total street bum._

I had glared at him and spoke in Chinese just as Shu had come into view to get a look at me. _My hair isn't as greasy as yours there, Danny Zuko._

The guy's eyes widenedat me and Shu blinked in surprise. I stared back at them as they stared at me. Then Shu snorted, _Oh shit son, you just got told._

The guy looked embarrassed and perplexed.

I admit that it was illegal, but I still got the job. This job paid for my tattoos. This job paid for my Harley. This job kept me away from home when I didn't want to be there.

"I'm goin' out for a cigarette." I said over my shoulder, and pushed open the door. I stepped into the night air, and reached for my pack that was in my pocket. I pulled out a cigarette and placed it in between my lips, stuffing the pack back into my pocket.

I clenched a fist to make it look like I was holding a lighter to the passerby and lit up. I scissored the cig and sighed out smoke.

"Wahhen."

I looked down at Shu as she pushed open the door and stepped outside to stand beside me. She crossed her arms, her hands grasping lightly at her elbows. She rocked back and forth on her heels and watched the few passing cars and walking people. I took a drag and looked back down at her when she asked, "You been back school two weeks? Thwee weeks?"

"About three weeks." I answered, blowing a smoke stream to the left so as not to get any in her face.

"How it going?"

"It's going my way." I reassured her.

She nodded, looking back to the street. She was having an actual conversation in English with me, so I figured that it was a bit of a tender, endearing kind of moment. She asked, "Youh bike, it sound like you fix noise in engine."

I nodded again, thinking about my Harley. It was currently parked out back where the employees parked their vehicles, bicycles, scooters, whatever they rode. I was starting to wonder why she was speaking English and speaking about nonchalant things. I was waiting for her to get to the important point she had to make to me. She definitely did not come out here to ask about my bike and how school was.

She gestured, "You know I tell you stop smoking." _There it is._ I thought to myself. I glanced down at my cigarette and nodded lightly at her.

"It bad for you." She said. I nodded, "Yeah, I know." I brought my cig back up to my lips and took a drag.

"It hahd habit to kick." She said.

I nodded again, letting the smoke out away from her. I knew it was a hard habit to kick; I had already tried a couple of times.

"You quit, okay?" she asked, looking up at me expectantly. The first time she had suggested that I quit smoking was in Chinese. This time it was in English so it seemed more personal to me.

I shrugged, and looked across the street to escape her gaze. I took another drag. I felt her slap me sharply in the arm and I looked quickly to her. "You quit, or I cut pay." She said and then pulled open the door.

"What?" I held the door open, looking in after her as she walked across the restaurant, weaving between tables. She raised a finger high into the air, "Cut pay by _half_!"

"_What?_"

She ignored me and went deeper into the restaurant around the corner, disappearing from my sight. I stared, my mouth agape. _Shu means 'kind' and 'gentle'? Oh you _bitch_, the _irony_!_

Then I pressed my lips tightly together and let the door shut. My accusing eyes glanced wildly around, and I kept my lips pressed together, trying to stamp down the urge to set something on fire. I didn't even take the time to check out the fluffy-haired guy who had walked by me, 'casually' looking at me from head to toe, his eyes lingering on my exposed biceps. I took a long, hearty drag and rubbed at my eyes with one hand as I exhaled. "Oh for _fuck's_ sake…"

I could take Shu giving me extra shifts, or even calling my mom about my smoking habit. But I could _not_ take a pay cut.

_Guess this means no more cigarette breaks within a mile of work…_I thought as I flicked the ashes off of my cig and pinched it closed. I tucked it back into the cigarette pack and went back inside. I weaved around tables, and I rounded the corner to get back to wiping up booths.

Lan, a waitress around my age, looked up from where she sat at the empty booth by the wall, folding clean napkins. "Warren."

I paused and looked at her, "Hey, Lan." I heaved a sigh and looked at the booth table beside hers and started wiping it down, cleansing it of the small puddles of 7Up and beef sauce.

"How come Shu's cutting your pay?"

I paused again and turned my gaze to her. She raised a finger and imitated Shu, "by _half_!" She smiled. I went back to wiping the table down, "She's only cutting my pay if I don't quit smoking."

She nodded in realization, "Oooh." She set a napkin into the bin with the other neatly folded napkins. She brushed her ponytail from her shoulder and asked, "So are you really gonna quit, or are my expectations too high?" I looked at her as I wiped a piece of noodle from the booth seat and cocked an eyebrow. She smiled again, this time apologetically.

"I've tried to quit, you know that." I said bluntly.

She shrugged, "Fifth time's a charm."

I dulled my eyes at her. I then went across the room with my back turned to her to wipe down the table farthest away from her. I know that outside of school I am a bit more…more…well, less…not as angry…no not as _tense_ I guess. For fuck's sake, I'm stranded on a flying piece of metal _very_ high in the sky, in a building full of other people who have super powers, and I have no way of escaping if it came to it. There were probably a little over three-hundred students there, and I didn't want to know two-hundred and ninety-nine of them.

It's nerve-wracking. And it didn't help that in a crowded place, according to my feeling-sensing and feeling-controlling mother The Negotiator, I am officially a diagnosed anti-social that doesn't want mostly anyone to be near me. At times sure, there were exceptions; seriously note '_mostly_ anyone' not 'anyone'.

This of course made Lan the closest thing to a friend I had outside of school. I was calmer outside of school, and even calmer during work, so she took advantage of that. Unknowingly of course.

"Hey."

My muscles tensed slightly as I felt her arm settle gently across my shoulder blades and felt her whisper in my ear.

"I know it's a school night, but by any chance, that call you got from your mom earlier, did she say she wasn't gonna be home tonight?"

I straightened up; her arm slid off of me so now only her hand rested on my shoulder. I looked down into her big, dark brown eyes. Did I also mention that our friendship was very…say…relaxed? Open?

I gave a nod, "Yeah." Mom wasn't expecting to be home tonight. The Negotiator was needed in the Middle East…_again_. Honestly, when was that bullshit going to end?

* * *

"Wǎn ān." I said over my shoulder as I pushed open the back door. The light from the kitchen billowed out as I went down the four steps. The light disappeared as the door closed behind me. I pulled on my leather jacket and yanked on the collar to straighten it out. I went over to my soft tail black, flamed Harley. My pride and joy per se…

I mounted my bike and reached back. I pulled loose my hair and it fell down around my face just as the back door opened again. I glanced up to see Lan coming down the steps.

"Jīn wǎn yǒu shé me jìhuà?" She asked. _What are your plans for this evening?_

I scoffed quietly and reached back to grasp my full-face helmet. I knew her question was foreplay. Formal foreplay, but foreplay nevertheless. I brought my helmet to my lap as she came to me on my bike. She smiled lightly, placing her hands on the handlebars of my bike. Her ponytail hung over shoulder as she leaned downward. I let her press her lips to mine. Short and soft and then she looked into my eyes with her dark chocolate gaze a mere three or four inches from mine.

She smiled and then backed away from my personal space. She went to her bright blue scooter and strapped on her white helmet. I flicked on my Harley and it roared to life. I glanced her way and she caught my gaze. "Gēn wǒ zǒu." I said quietly, gesturing toward the street with a small jerk of my head before I slipped on my helmet, hiding most of my face except my eyes from her. _Come with me. _

She smiled and I heard her scooter flutter smoothly and gently to life, like a hummingbird. I buckled the strap under my chin and then grasped the handlebars. I let loose the park, twisted the throttle and led the way out of the parking lot and down the street. My Harley's roars probably echoed through the dimness of evening as I rode through the streets. I could hear Lan on her scooter, following a good twenty yards behind me.

This wasn't the first time she followed me home on her scooter. There had been a few times before she'd gotten her scooter as well. During those times, she would ride on the back of my Harley, wearing my helmet with her arms wrapped around my waist; a hand occasionally gliding over the crotch of my jeans.

I made a smooth turn up my driveway, following the blacktop up the slight hill until I was around back my house. I rode up in front of the garage and killed the engine. I dismounted and walked toward the garage door, un-strapping my helmet. I slipped it off of my head, and tucked it in the crook of my left arm. I leaned down and grabbed the handle and pulled the garage door up as I heard Lan's scooter engine fluttering up behind me.

I went back to my Harley. Lan passed me, riding her scooter into the garage, deliberately parking in my usual spot. I gripped the handlebars of my bike and walked it in after her. But she had already set her helmet down and was already walked toward the back door to my house.

I chuckled impishly and put the kickstand down on my bike and let it lean lazily on it. I left the garage, pulling down the door as I did. Then I crossed my arms and watched Lan feeling along the side of the doorway, looking for the piece that came loose.

_Three, two, one…_

She pried it gently loose and then paused. She cocked an eyebrow and then looked back at me. She pushed the piece of wood back into place. "Nǐ tíchū de guānjiàn zài nǎlǐ?" _You moved the key? _"Nǐ húndàn." _You bastard._

I snorted and walked forward, tucking a hand into my pocket to retrieve my keys. I walked up beside her, slipping the key into the door and unlocking it. I pushed it open and stepped back respectfully, yet mockingly for Lan.

She stepped into my house, shrugging out of her coat and kicking off her shoes, already heading for the stairs. She left her coat slung over the end of the banister where she usually left it on these occasions. I closed the door behind me, undid my boots and took them off, then followed after her.

I got off the last step and went to my already opened bedroom door. Lan had already shrugged out of her clothes down to a white tank top and a very girly pair of girl boxers. She came toward me and gently pushed my leather jacket from my shoulders. My sleeveless shirt made it easy for my jacket to slump from my arms and to the floor. As she worked her fingers under the hem of my shirt, I stroked a finger along the waistband of her girl boxers. "Xīn de?" _New?_

She pulled my shirt up my chest and I didn't bother to raise my arms. She looked at me stubbornly and then answered, "Shì de. Wǒ hěn wúliáo yǔ bǐjīní nèikù. Wǒ xiǎng chángshì xīn de dōngxi. Xiànzài, qǐng yǔ wǒ hézuò." _Yes. I was bored with bikini panties. I wanted to try something new. Now, please cooperate with me._

I chuckled at her and then obliged, raising my arms. She dumped my shirt on the floor. Her soft hands traveled down my chest, rising and falling with the contours of my abs. I stood still, casting my gaze downward to watch her without moving my head. Her hands smoothly glided back up my stomach, my pecks and up to my shoulders.

The pressure on my skin bent me downward slightly so she could attempt to reach my lips. My hands traveled from my sides to encase her small waist and I saved her the trouble of rising to her tiptoes. Her soft hands cupped my jawbone and I tilted my head the other way, pressing my tongue into her mouth.

Her hands brushed back my hair and my hands brushed her tank top up her sides. I walked her gently back until she was on my bed. Practiced and familiar, she crawled backwards to lie back against my pillows on my plain black comforter all the while keeping our lips intact. For just a brief moment I lifted my lips from hers to pull her tank top off of her. Once I tossed it on the floor I leaned back in. She said, "You need a haircut."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, "You're gonna start this right _now_?" I leaned down and proceeded to kiss her neck, hoping it would shut her up seeing as it was her 'special spot'. I was encouraged by the pleasant, girlish whimper so I continued. For a few moments of thoroughly kissing, licking, nipping and sucking at either side of her neck, I was joyful that she wasn't picking up the age-old conversation of how she thought I should cut my hair.

But of course, nothing lasted long enough.

"It's _really_ long." She said and then gasped.

I paused and rolled my eyes, doing my best to ignore her by reaching under her back and unhooking her bra with one hand. Her fingers brushed through my hair as I sat back slightly to toss her bra on the floor.

"It's almost as long as mine." She said as I ran my palms down her soft ample chest and down to the waistband of her girly boxers. I cocked my eyebrow, not looking at her, merely watching my hands slide her boxers down her thighs, "Then maybe _you_ should get a haircut."

"Tch." She retorted, sitting up and latching her lips onto one of my nipples while fiddling with the button on my jeans. She licked my sternum and said, "Not gonna happen."

I mockingly ran one of my hands through her long, dark, soft hair as she pulled down the zipper on my jeans, "Seriously, maybe you should chop off all of your hair instead of me."

She shoved my jeans down to my knees, and I worked them off as she said, "I can't do that. I'd look like a dyke." I tossed my jeans onto the floor and looked back to her, "Then it stands to reason. If I cut my hair, I too would look like a dyke," She giggled. "so let's neither of us cut our hair, and forget about it." I leaned back over her and started kissing her again, hoping that there was some finality in my words and she would just let it go.

But nope. The second I leaned back to slip off my gray boxers, the first word out of her mouth was, "At least let me take a couple inches off of it?"

I let out a groan. I had an erection, this whole night was her idea, and I was the one getting put on hold? Her rosy face and her light panting told me that she had her own girly erection, so why was she doing this?

"You must _really_ want me to get my haircut." I said, taking a condom from my nightstand drawer. She smirked at me, "And annoy you as much as possible. It's funny to see you sexually frustrated."

I rolled my eyes, sliding on the condom and then I crossed my arms, "Well, let me know when you're done." She pursed her lips for a minute and then nodded, "Okay I'm finished now."

"You sure?"

"Shut the hell up, Warren." She said, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me down over her.

_What the fu…_she's_ telling _me_ to shut up?_

* * *

I pulled the garage door back down. "See you." Lan called as she fluttered down the driveway on her scooter. I brought my cigarette to my lips and took a long drag. The nighttime breeze brushed across my bare chest and the ashes from my cig glowed orange in the darkness. I leaned against the garage, and let out a long smoke stream.

I wondered quietly to myself who Lan would set herself up with in the next few days. Usually when _she_ asked for a night at my place, it was for a bit of a confidence booster. A day or a few later she'd tell me about some boy at her school that she had just started dating. According to the length of time I'd spent rocking my hips back and forth into her on my bed until she flinched with a prolonged orgasm, I guessed that she would have a boyfriend the next day. She was predictable like that. Well I guess me knowing her so well had something to do with her being the only person I really was good friends with.

And it didn't bug me at all. I liked her merely as a friend and that was all. And if you couldn't occasionally have sex with your friends, then what was friendship? There's a comfort level that comes with friendship. A trust level. Lan trusted me. I returned that trust in a way as well.

I listened to her talk about her boyfriends. She listened to me, after questioning me of course, talk about any sexual encounters I had. Male and female. Of course it was a little weird that she was more interested in hearing about me doing a guy rather than a girl…

_I still think that she goes both ways._ I thought mulishly, taking a brief drag from my cig. _Either that or she'd the most flexible hetero I've ever laid eyes on… _

I was honest with her when I had told her that I didn't have feelings for her after the first time we had sex. She was honest with me as well, and the truth surprised me. She didn't have feelings for me either. Any tenderness between us was the result of friendship, and that was it. We both could live with that.

I shook my head. It shocked me sometimes how different me and Lan were, and yet we had the most interesting things in common.

I sighed out smoke and then palmed my cig, lighting it ablaze with hot orange flames. I quickly killed the fire and was satisfied to see the butt of my cig had been reduced to a little quaint pile of ashes. I sprinkled the ashes over my Mom's zinnias and then clapped my palms, wiping off the ashes.

Flushed evidence _and_ a fertilizer. How's that for efficient?


	4. Cafeteria Part 1

**Guys, I am so sorry that I haven't posted in eons. Honest to truly, I was in the highschool musical Grease as Johnny Casino the lead singer in the band and a Greaser (and let's just say, mostly everyone thought I really was a guy XDD) and I had practices late every night and I didn't even have time for homework! The past couple of weeks have been so crazy but worry and wait no more because we just finished Grease Friday and Saturday! So no more late practices! XDD **

**I'll do my best to hurry up and post more often now that I have a little more time and energy on my hands! **

**And I'm also sorry that this chapter was kinda short...I'll do better as soon as I get my life back on track now that it is Grease-less XDD**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I rolled over onto my side in my bed and quietly sighed into the darkness. I kept telling myself not to look at the clock no matter how much it tickled at my consciousness because apparently you weren't supposed to do that when you couldn't sleep. I licked my lips and swallowed. I tucked my right palm under my cheek and scratched lightly at my pillow with my left index finger.

After itching at my pillow for what felt like an hour I finally gave in with an exasperated groan. I rolled over to my other side and grabbed at my clock. The blue numbers glowed 12:41 am. My eyes rolled up the ceiling and I let out a long agitated groan, flopping back onto my mattress. It had only been six minutes since the last time I looked at the fucking thing…

Sure I was getting used to the spotty sleep patterns that started the day that Warren Peace had pounded his fist into me, but still…at the same time I wasn't used to it. I tried to shrug the thoughts of Warren Peace out of my head for I actually wanted to get sleep tonight. I had a test in Mad Science the next day and I kind of needed to pass it...

Unconsciously my hand moved down my chest. It slid down to my stomach where the bruises had healed. I pressed my fingertips hard into my skin, searching for any remaining tender spot. But there wasn't even the slightest twinge anywhere. I heaved a sigh and rolled over again to face my bedside table. I pulled the drawer out and reached in. My fingers clasped around the small brown box where I kept my guitar picks and my tuner.

_Can't put it off any longer…_

**~Warren's POV~  
**

I wasn't lying when I had told Shu that school was going my way. The past few weeks had been going smoothly. Sure the classes were kind of boring and easy for me to pass, and everybody seemed to know that it was a good idea to stay the hell away from me. I managed kept things amusing for myself by feasting my eyes on the weekly Motorcyclist I was subscribed to.

I was reading about the whole ethanol with the surplus water in a singular type of bike fuel. _For fuck's sake that'd be hell on any tank. Fucking guys don't know anything about oxidation? Forget lining the tank…_

"Whoa!"

Someone's lunch came flying over my shoulder and all over my arm, my issue of Motorcyclist and my table. I set my jaw and lifted my head, looking away from the article. I had already been kind of pissed about the possible oxidation in my Harley's tank so I was in no mood to have someone dump their lunch all over me. That would screw up anyone's day.

I put my palms on the tabletop and pushed myself up to stand. I turned, the food falling from the sleeve of my leather jacket. I was ready to set somebody's hair on fire. I had to look down as he stood up from where he lay on the floor. And of course…it was _Stronghold_.

The furnace inside of me heightened in temperature. I felt eyes watching me from all around.

"Uh…I'm…I'm sorry."

I had no clue that my jaw muscles could be so drawn and tight. "You will be." I growled. My day had been going so well, and here was little Stronghold. The name I hated, the face I hated, the pain I hated because I liked it. That confident aura of his was entirely gone.

"Please. Let's not do this, listen I," he started to plead but I cut him off, "Shut up."

I heard excited murmurs around me.

"Stronghold's going up against Peace!"

"Peace is so gonna kick his ass."

"Nah, Peace ain't gonna touch him,"

"Yeah, The Commander would kill him and he knows it."

Will seemed to have heard every murmur going on around us just as well as I did. And for a moment, I spotted some spark of confidence. My clenched teeth separated, "Oh so you think you can get away with anything just because your name's Stronghold?" No one liked having a meal dumped on them, but I was taking the murmurs from the crowd as challenges, and this whole situation as an excuse to kill him.

"I'm sorry my dad put your dad in jail, but,"

A dangerous chord was struck hard within me. What_ did he just say? _I grabbed his collar tightly into my gloved hands, drawing him closer firmly and slowly. His eyes widened in fright, my glare burning right through him. And I hissed lethally between my teeth, "_Nobody_…talks about…my _father_." The anger boiled to the surface and my hands lit up with fire. His eyes widened further when he saw and felt my power for the first time. I gave him a hearty shove, lifting my hands away from him as if he were the scum of the earth infested with all sorts of flesh-eating worms.

_That's all that's gonna be left of him… _

He fell back onto his ass and quickly pushed himself up. He started backing slowly away from me, obviously realizing that he was in terrible danger. The whole cafeteria got excited and started stirring up around me, keeping their distance. Most of them chanted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

I lit up my hand and launched the orange and red flames at him just as he grabbed a cafeteria lunch tray. Holding it up as a shield proved useless as my fire burned a hole right through it. He dropped it and hastily wiped away the embers on his face. I took the blindness as an opportunity and launched another one at him.

He opened one eye between his brushing fingers and quickly ducked down to the floor. The flames flew on, setting the wall behind him on fire, almost setting a couple of fleeing students aflame as well. This was all noticed through the edges of my eyes, as I was running toward Stronghold who still knelt on the ground.

My flameless fist caught him in the right side of his face as he looked up. He let out a grunt and sprawled onto the floor several feet away from me and cried out in pain. The approving students who looked on let out an "Ooh!"

He scrambled to his feet and ducked as I launched another few handfuls of fire at him. This set the serving stands on fire since he dove to the floor. _You're only pissing me off more, Stronghold._

I threw my fire at him, kindled by anger and hate. He was running toward a wall, likely to pull the fire alarm, which hadn't gone off even though several parts of the cafeteria were aflame. But then he tripped over god knows what, probably his own feet, or the air.

I walked after him, and kids struggled to get out of my way. I threw a wisp of fire at him before he could move and it pounded heavily into his left shoulder. He yelled out in fear and pain, and slapped the flames out. He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes large and worried. Like a flint, my arms crossed and from my shoulder to my fingertips a healthy, raging fire lit up.

He shuffled across the floor. I raised my arms, sending all of the fire to my hands and launched it toward him. It set the end of the table that he had crawled under on fire. It even blew off half of it and melted the seats. Either the tables were flimsy as shit, or I was getting stronger without my knowing it.

I jumped onto the table and walked across it, launching fire down to the floor on either side of it, no doubt scaring the little twerp to near-death. I could hear his terrified grunts and the sound of him brushing embers off of himself.

I stopped at the end of the table, looking down, and my hair hanging around my face. "Where's your sidekicks, Sidekick?" I called, merely adding insult to injury.

"Right here!"

"Yeah!"

I looked to my left to see Stronghold's four friends that I had seen with him that first day. The tall, bleach blonde surfer who'd never seen a wave, and was too long for his pants and wore distracting neon yellow clothes. The short black boy with glasses and a big orange shirt that was five sizes too big for him. The chick with Asian complexion, crossed arms and a magenta gothic-punk getup. And then the hippie girl with a green floral shirt, grassy skirt and long red hair.

They looked at me defiantly.

I flinted my arms; not really intending to hurt them, more so to scare them off. I raised my arms above my head, my hair flying around my face with the hot waves of wind. The fire went to my fingertips, slowly building into a bonfire above my head.

The surfer looked frozen in fear, too dumb to run. The goth chick looked like she'd seen worse, or really didn't care. The hippie looked like she was praying to Mother Earth to stop the violence. The black kid just melted into a puddle of orange goop.

"Leave – them – _alone_!"

I wobbled a bit. My fire went out and suddenly I was higher than I had been before. Stronghold was _lifting_ the table I was standing on.

"He's strong!" someone cried.

He must have been as surprised as me, because I heard him ask, "I'm strong?" Either that or a bit too oblivious for the ware. The table wobbled again underneath me and then I went flying.


	5. Cafeteria Part 2

**I like banana nut muffins...**

**Haha, excuse me. I've become so accustomed to my author intros containing sincere apologies that I've forgotten what kind of stuff I used to say. XDD**

**Well, hmm, I finished reading a gay novel this afternoon. IT TOOK THEM THE ENTIRE BOOK TO ACTUALLY HAVE SEX...sheesh...XDDD I totally thought that Alfie (the masculine one but still with emotion) was gonna top for their first time together. But nope! Haha, JOHN (the boyishly handsome, and emotional one) topped for their first time together! I was like "DAYUM! Did not see that coming!"**

**Haha so that was what I did today! XDD **

**Speaking of tops...when it comes to Will and Warren, I dunno, it is just _instilled _in my head. Warren's the top. And not because he's the bigger one and the manlier one. It's just because he's Warren ^w^ Hmm, but _maybe _there could be a time in a future chapter...**

**O_O **

**-starts scheming-**

**Hmm...naaaaaaaah.**

**Read on my pretties! XD**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

Cheers overtook my ears. I looked back at Layla, Zach and Magenta. Ethan's head bubbled up from the puddle to peek at what had happened. It was so strange. I didn't feel any different, and yet I had just flung a whole cafeteria table across the cafeteria as if it had been weightless.

Then there was the happiness that overtook my chest and my mouth turned up in a wide smile as my friends and the crowd of students cheered for me. Realization just plowed into me. _I have powers! I have powers! _

Then my eyes found Lash and Speed. They were both standing, slack-jawed looking toward where I'd tossed the table. I felt a little malice itch at my throat. "Hey." Their eyes shot to me. "Who tripped me?"

Speed was gone like a shot and Lash quickly attached himself to the ceiling above me. I could have wept with joy and I closed my eyes with such a grin. _I'm super strong! I have powers! I'm not gonna be Ron Wilson, bus driver! I have p-_

"Stronghold!"

That happiness froze in me. "Will, look out!" I heard Layla cry. I turned around. Warren Peace's right fist drove hard into my stomach, forcing the air from my lungs. His left fist found my side, and the right knocked hard into my jaw. I hit the floor, pain throbbing in the assaulted areas of my body. "Fight back, Will!" I heard Zach call.

Warren Peace bent to grab my collar, and my foot caught him in the chest and I shoved him away from me. I sat up and watched him collide with a wall, cracks blooming from the place where his back had made impact. The crowd reacted in cheers and 'ooh!'s and many sorts of other calls.

"Holy crap." I mumbled in surprise. I still hadn't digested my strength. _I didn't shove him _that_ hard…did I?_

Whether I had or not, Warren Peace didn't loose his feet. His arms crossed and with a growl his hands burst into flame, which quickly spread all the way up to his shoulders.

I pushed myself up to my feet. His glare focused on my eyes. They burned brighter than his arms, and yet they were so cold and icy. "Put'em up, Will!" I heard Zach call. I could hear his oversized feet shuffling on the floor, and I could just imagine him shifting his weight repeatedly like he always had a habit of doing when he was excited.

Thing was, I'd never been in a fight in my entire life. But I'd seen plenty of movies with lots of fighting in them. And I'd seen my dad punch out many a bad guy via television. _How hard could it be?_

I awkwardly raised my fists in front of me. I glanced at them frequently in the span of three seconds, undecided on how far apart they should be.

But Warren Peace was already running at me.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God…_

My fist connected with his sternum. I didn't see what happened because I had to slap the embers and ash from my eyes. But I heard a loud crash. And a huge amount of cheering.

The moment I let down my hands, I saw a huge gaping hole in the cafeteria wall. I could see into the hallway. And there was another hole in the hallway wall.

My eyebrows went up. Then I jumped, feeling a searing burn on my collarbone, my shoulder and my stomach. I quickly slapped at the flames on my shirt. "Damnit!" _Oh holy hell that _hurts_!_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

_That little midget-fuck! I'm gonna rip him a new one! Goddamned little Stronghold ass!_

It took me less than a second to recover from the punch. I lifted myself out of the pillar in the teacher's lounge and stalked back toward the hole in the wall, not even acknowledging Boomer and Medula whom I saw staring at me unfazed out of the corner of my eye.

I had never been in a fight with someone who had such strength. So at that point though, I was pretty proud of myself. The punch that had sent me through a wall, no two walls, had hurt a bit more than a regular punch, but my ribs weren't collapsed or anything. I'd take Super Being Biology back in my Freshman year so I knew that any super being, regardless of their super power, had enhanced abilities, strength and endurance. I just hadn't expected to be that strong.

I climbed through the hole in the cafeteria wall, the cheering reaching my ears. "Think I can't take a hit?"

I saw Stronghold turn toward me. There were some burn holes in his shirt and the skin exposed was reddish and a bit raw looking. I didn't take the time to think how that pleased me. I flinted; and yelled out as the ache of the anger in my heart spread to my fingertips, and raced up to my shoulders.

The room tinted red.

I sprinted toward him.

It all blurred.

My fire fluttered as I cut through the air with my running. It was like it was caressing my bare skin. The rushing oxygen fed the raging inferno.

And then it was all gone as an icy cloud of white splashed into me hard. I threw up my arms, shielding my face. The coldness stung the flames that consumed my limbs, making the fire disappear. I was at a loss at what the hell was happening for a fleeting second.

Then the white, frosty mist dissolved and I lowered my arms, my eyes narrowed slightly. Stronghold was holding a fire extinguisher. A fucking _fire_ _extinguisher_.

Stronghold shifted the empty, red metal tube in his hands, not even looking at me. "Hi." He said quietly, and guiltily.

I looked up and there was Principal Powers in one of her famous skirt suits. And she was even in her famous pose. One foot turned to the side, arms crossed, and eyebrow cocked. I scoffed quietly and rolled my eyes, sitting up. The woman couldn't be less threatening to me, and yet her presence commanded the attention of the whole room of students who all shut up, and straightened up.

_Give – me – a – break. _

I gathered myself to my feet, brushing white frost from my leather jacket. Stronghold shied a step away from me as I did. Privately, I was satisfied that his strength hadn't made him cocky and he still feared me. I instilled a burning gaze down at him, my eyes almost shut because he was so short.

Powers said, "Well, come along then." She turned and her heels clicked toward the cafeteria doors. She had such a command and a bit of a swagger. Of course she had that Principle principle so of course…

Will set down the busted fire extinguisher and followed after her, biting his lip the whole way. I sighed quietly through my nose and cast a look around the cafeteria. All of the students recoiled a bit as my gaze cast over them. The cafeteria was pretty fucked up. Only after I was finished observing did I decide to follow after the principle.

I knew exactly where we were going, but Stronghold obviously didn't according to his constant looks about him at passing doors. It was amusing to watch. He sauntered quickly to keep up with Powers's long legs like a little lap dog. Her voice was echoing off the walls of the empty hall in a berating tone.

My amusement kind of took the edge off of my lack of ignorance. I knew where we were going. And I didn't want to be there. I ignored the lecture that Powers was brattling out as I mentally prepared myself for the blinding white room that would make me totally powerless in a school full of powerful people.

Powers made a slight turn toward the Detention Room door and swatted Will's backside into the room. As I went past she did the same thing to me, making me rise to my toes for a second and raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't do anything though, _he_ started it." Stronghold said giving me a small gesture as I followed him into the white room.

"Your dad started it." I said. He turned to look at me as I spoke, his eyes obviously revealed that he was threatened and worried. Then I got a little devious. _Why not? _"And I'm gonna finish it." I 'flinted' my arms and amusement rose up inside of me when he flinched back, lifting his arms to hide behind.

"Don't worry Mister Stronghold. The Detention Room neutralizes all super powers. Now…_sit_." Powers said pointing firm fingers at a couple of desks.

Stronghold quickly sat in the one nearest him, with his back straight in the presence of Principle lady. I slumped into the seat Powers had indicated for me. I stretched my legs out comfortably on the bright white floor before me. I ignored the eyebrow she cocked at me.

Then she proceeded to talk and I stared past her face, ignoring her. It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before anyways.

"Trying to live up to your father's reputation or trying to live it _down_…"

I jerked slightly.

"is a _sad_ waste of talent. _Your_ talent. Not your _father's_ talent."

_Oh you bitch…_

"Think about that the next time you're about to do something _incredibly_ stupid." Then she turned and clicked her heels out of the room all high and mighty. The door beeped and slid closed behind her, shutting us in and the world out.

I sighed quietly through my nose, slowly tilting my head back to examine the ceiling. _Hey, they fixed that dent I made when I threw a desk last year…_

"Look…whatever happened between our dads."

I closed my eyes. _Oh for fuck's sake…_

"It's got nothing to do with us."

_Oh shut up…_

"What d'ya say?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him reach a hand across the distance between us. I slowly turned my head to look at Stronghold. I stared coldly into those hopeful blue eyes.

Then I snapped a hand out, grabbed his wrist and flipped him from his seat. He landed with a loud thud and a winded grunt of pain in the middle of the white floor. I placed my hand back down onto the desk. For a moment he laid there stock-still. Then he finally took in a breath and let out a winded groan.

Then I pushed myself up from the desk seat and took two steps to stand beside him. Then I crouched down. He gasped in fear when I gathered the front of his red, white and blue shirt into my fist. I dragged him close to me so he could see deeply into my glaring eyes. I ignored the sounds of his shirt ripping because my fist was stressing the holes that had been burned through the fabric earlier on. His blue eyes were wide with fright, his eyebrows were arched slightly and his breath came in small hesitant puffs.

"I say…" I said, my voice low and dangerous. "that if you _ever_…cross me _again_…I'll roast you alive."

I watched him gulp. The movement of his throat muscles diverted my attention slightly. Then something caught my eye.

I could see under his shirt since it was uplifted in my grasp. There was a perfectly aligned row of five cuts on his shoulder. They were fairly fresh, long thin lines of darkened, dried, red blood; and they tinged with pinkish redness. They were deep enough to penetrate the fat layer, but not quite the muscle layer; otherwise the wounds would have been wider. All according to the few medical senses my mom had instilled into me as a kid.

I returned my gaze back to Stronghold's eyes. They looked even more frightened now. His lower lip was quivering slightly as he puffed in fearful breaths. He knew _exactly_ what I had been looking at under his shirt.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

_Oh no…_


	6. Encouragement

**Yep...I know it's been a while everybody...I've been lazy. My bad...**

**Well, I also just got back from a trip to my nation's capitol...Washington DC, and I didn't bring my laptop with me. Which sucked...yep. I think I've also slept in every position possible on those Amtrack train seats! For Herne's sake, I'd wake up every twenty minutes and have to adjust to a new position, or wipe the drool off my neck, or take off my dogtags because they were bothering me, or de-chappify my lips with chapstick! It didn't help either that my piece of shit iPod name Piece'o'Shit was acting like...well a piece of shit...Hehe. **

**But it was summer in DC so that was nice. I saw a lot of people of a lot of different nationalities. Cute girls, hot guys. A lot of joggers. Like three dogs. And the McDonald's in the Air and Space museum put onions on my burger when I specifically told the cashier "Hey, I'd like a quarter pounder with no onions, no cebolla, please." Yeah, I even said no onions in Spanish 'no cebolla', and they still gave me onions on my burger...not even finely and evenly chopped onions, some were big, some where so cooked down and little. That was bullshit...But I didn't bother complaining because it was the biggest fucking MickeyD's I've ever seen in my life with like 90 people working there. So I guess I'll have to understand that somewhere something could get mixed up...whatever.**

**And while I'm complaining, I must say, I think the Air and Space museum is boring as shit. The most amusement I got was when me and my friends hit the store and I found some balls that were a bit bigger than tennis balls, clear colored and they could bounce very high. Yeah, so I bought one, and it's fapping awesome. I play with it all the time at my desk with my laptop when I'm pausing for inspirational thoughts. It makes me feel like House with his giant tennis balls. Everybody needs a stimuli! **

**So you all can thank the finishing and submission of this chapter on my awesome new ball! Whoo... **

**Enjoy the read. Ya'll deserve it.**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I'd already been afraid. But now I was terrified. I'd been found out. And found out by _Warren_ freaking _Peace_. Now I feared all of the worst. My friends would find out. My parents would find out. _Everyone_ would find out. And what the hell would happen to me? What would they all think of me? That something was wrong with me? _Oh dear God…_

I tried to slow my breathing down, but it was no use. I tried to pull out of his grasp, but my entire body was limp. I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry.

Warren Peace's eyes returned to mine. The anger and hate that burned within his eyes was…gone. There was something different. He let out a harsh breath through his nose. It was a _laugh_…and that was…_amusement_ in his eyes.

"What, is this one of those 'rather feel pain than nothing at all' clichés, Stronghold? Or are you just so _pathetic_…that you're suicidal?" The words rolled sharply and quietly off of his tongue. Each consonant was spiced with a dark enjoyment.

My breathing seemed to slow down on its own. But my heart beat all the quicker. My chest started feeling hollow and empty, but at the same time, so Goddamned heavy. I recognized this feeling. It was shame. I felt it every single freaking time I…

All of a sudden Warren Peace's right hand lifted from his side. I glanced at his nearing gloved hand, and then I looked worriedly back into his eyes. There was a smirk in them even though his lips hardly quirked.

I felt his warm fingers slither through the hole in my shirt. Then his big, leather-clad hand clamped down hard on my bare shoulder and my skin lit up with hot, stinging pain. I clamped my eyes shut, and frowned, letting out an unintentional cry that showcased my pain to him. I gathered my lower lip between my teeth to silence myself, and to try to distract my pain-_sensitive_ nervous system. It didn't stop the small, pained whines in my throat though.

The leather rubbed harshly against the cuts that were still new and now irritated. God, it felt like my whole shoulder was aflame with prickling, hurtful little knives.

I pulled open my eyes slightly to look at him. My lip felt raw underneath my teeth. But Warren Peace was actually…smirking. Well, his eyebrows were relaxed, his hooded eyes were lit up in amusement, but one side of his mouth was ever so slightly turned upward. I wouldn't have even been able to notice it if I hadn't been so close to him. Something started boiling in my stomach.

"Or…is it maybe something else, hmm?" He asked quietly, leaning closely. The scent of him invaded my nostrils. It was a warm smell. The smell of leather, the smell of fire, and then some kind of spicy aroma.

I realized that all the attempts to quiet the obvious pain in my shoulder had failed. For my blood was gathering…and throbbing in a place that I did _not_ want Warren Peace to notice. But obviously, Warren Peace had noticed. And without even looking.

His left hand released my shirt, and I was only being held up by the hand clamped firmly and painfully on my shoulder. But his free hand ventured down and placed itself right on the crotch of my shorts.

I jumped under his touch, and let loose an involuntary…_moan_…

His breath came out again in that almost silent laugh. Then the leather-clad heel of his right hand dragged up the cuts on my shoulder, and then back down against them. I winced with a pained cry and then something in my brain finally woke up and told my body to freaking do _something_. I started struggling against his grasp.

That attempt was simply silenced, because in a millisecond, Warren Peace slammed me down onto the floor and kept me there by the force of his _one_ hand on my shoulder. I let out another cry.

His hand rubbed roughly against my throbbing erection and I drew in a gasp, firmly shutting my eyes again. "I'm stronger than you, Stronghold." I heard him murmur. His voice was dark and husky, and his words made my erection twitch against his hand. The pain in my shoulder throbbed like a blinking blip on a radar screen.

My fingertips hurt for some reason. I didn't even realize that I'd been clawing my blunt fingernails against the hard, white floor on either side of me. The pain that Warren Peace was administering to me was the biggest distraction of my life. And dear god, it felt so…amazing.

The pain. The fear. The vulnerability. It all was such a serious pleasure that I had never known could be so strong, or even existed. The occasional relief I got from the razor blades I'd plucked out of my Dad's new unused shaving razor years ago that I kept hidden under a small sheet of paper taped into the bottom of a small brown box where I kept my guitar tuner and picks was _nothing_ compared to what I was feeling now.

After I let out a moan that I had no chance of holding back, I heard him chuckle quietly. "Guess it _is_ something else."

I struggled to open my eyes. The moment I did, I shut them again and let out a cry of pain as his right hand released my shoulder and bluntly fisted itself into my stomach.

**~Warren's POV~**

"Ah!" His eyebrows arched over his closed eyelids and his lower lip quivered in his open, pain-laced mouth. His breath came in and came out in a gasp, and he started breathing quickly, spottily and quietly. When he opened his eyes, and I saw those blue eyes taken over with fear and pain looking into my eyes with worry, but yet a dominated, desperate pleading…Good god, my blood bubbled and throbbed with thrill from my fingertips all the way down to my penis.

In my left hand I could feel his erection pressing desperately against his zipper. I'd only had one bout with another masochist in my life. And she was only into a few pre-sex slaps on the ass. This was very intriguing to me. I started wondering what he had done after I'd left him on the floor in the locker room, beaten and whimpering. I started understanding the cause of the blush in his face when I cornered him in the bathroom.

It all made sense. And I wanted more.

I chuckled quietly as he whimpered. This put things in a whole new perspective for me. He let out a small, airy moan. I asked myself while starting to rub the heel of my hand into the cuts on his shoulder and watching the pain in his eyes slosh around like some kind of blue stormy ocean, _What better way…to get back at Stronghold Senior…than to be fucking the brains out of his only son? _

I started calculating all kinds of benefits this would have for me until I had made up my mind entirely, the whole time he was breathing quickly, and whimpering and moaning at the same time. I was going to burn my handprints into this small boy. I was going to write my name all over this small boy. I was going to make him _scream_ my name. And when the time came when Stronghold Senior finally caught wind of it…oh god, it would be a bitter taste in his mouth, and a sweet taste of revenge in mine.

Little Stronghold let out a cry, he flinched and trembled. I felt him come right in his shorts. I smirked down at his recovering features, slowly rubbing my palm against his exhausted penis through the crotch his shorts.

But then I let go of the small boy altogether and got up to my feet. He laid there panting on the floor, and his eyes opened under his slightly arched eyebrows. He looked up at me, looking like some sort of helpless puppy. I had to instill some kind of thought into his mind that gave him a bit of courage to come sauntering back to me for more. So I reached into my back pocket and took out my black handkerchief. I always had it tucked into my back pocket if I had to randomly wipe my hands or my forehead during my shift at work.

I tossed it down at him and it landed on his stomach. He looked downward at it slightly, still panting, and then turned his pleasure-hazed eyes to look warily up at me.

"Clean yourself up." I said.

And then I slid back into the seat, casually stretching my long legs out comfortably in front of me on the floor as I had done so in front of the Principle. Then my mind managed to start wandering again. And I had to keep myself from smirking. _This is going to be a hell of a lot of fun…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I walked home from the corner of the street where Ron Wilson, bus driver, had dropped me off late after being in detention. My footsteps were uneven with pondering and worry...even fear. I licked my dry lips and let out a slow breath as I went up the walk to my front door. I had replaced my holey, singed t-shirt with my gym t-shirt. And I had cleaned up the mess in my shorts before there could be a noticeable stain. If there was any sign of what had happened, my gym t-shirt was long enough to cover my crotch. I knew there was nothing about my appearance that could give anything away…Hopefully…

_God, what if they notice?_ But then that wasn't possible. _Right?_

I grabbed the door handle and opened the door, walking in as I did. I flinched and my eyes widened when the door came away in my hand. I grabbed the other side of it to keep it from falling down. "Hoh…wow." I turned around and leaned the door back against the doorway muttering over and over, "Holy _shit_, holy _shit_, holy _shit_."

"Good evening, William. How was your _day_?" I flinched at the sound of my Mom's stern voice. I let go of the door and nervously rubbed my hands together. I turned around and smiled uneasily. "Hey Mom. Hey Dad." They were still dressed in their realty profession apparel. Mom's hands were on her hips, and Dad's arms were crossed. They both looked seriously and sternly at me from behind their glasses.

"Well, I uh," I gestured meekly at the door, "I got uh…you might have noticed…that I uh…" _Came in my pants against Warren Peace's hand… _"got my uh…powers today." I distracted my thoughts that were quickly wandering back to Warren Peace by hurrying forward and picking my mom up high into the air by her hips.

"Yes, we know. Principle Powers called us." She said.

I slowly put her back down, my nervous smile fading away. "Yeah…I figured…Mom, I guess…I guess I'll just,"

"Will! You nearly destroyed the cafeteria!"

"Mom, I,"

"Josie, I'll handle this one." Dad said, his serious gaze still fixed upon me. "Sanctum. Now."

I pressed my lips together and drew in a long breath before heading past them. I left the foyer, passed the living room, and went into the study. I clicked a button on the picture frame and pressed my hand to the handprint scanner. It blipped in approval at my bio signature and the doors slid open, revealing to the room the two lone poles. I reached in and hooked my hands around it, and stepped off of the floor. I slid gently down the pole and landed softly down at the bottom.

I walked over to Mom's desk of computers and technical things to the such-like. I leaned against it and toed the floor with my Converse. My eyes skimmed across my gym t-shirt. I lifted one of my hands and plucked lightly at it, thinking about how I'd changed my shirt as soon as I was let out of detention. I remembered now that I hadn't thrown the singed shirt away but had tossed it back into my locker.

I thought about the fascination that I'd seen in Warren Peace's eyes. The enjoyment. The…pleasure?

I jumped when I heard someone sliding down into the Sanctum. Dad landed lightly on the floor and then looked over at me. He planted his hands sternly on his beltline and walked smoothly over to stand across from me. "William Theodor Stronghold…"

_Here it comes…_

He held his arms out, "C'mere!"

_Wait, what?_

* * *

I closed my bedroom door firmly behind me, flicked on the light switch and let out a long sigh, glad to finally be alone with my thoughts. I leaned back against my door and blew my bangs up off of my forehead. I cast my gaze down to my carpet and then tucked my hands into my pockets.

My gaze lifted from my floor and I drew my hand out of my right pocket. There was Warren Peace's black bandana all folded up neatly and gingerly in between my fingers. I remembered cleaning semen off of it in the bathroom before Ron Wilson, bus driver, had arrived to pick me and any other kids who lived on my route and had stayed after school.

I went over to my bed, sat on the edge of it and slowly unfurled the big square of black cloth. It was still a little damp in a couple of places. I smoothed it out over my lap. I fingered the red flame that was in only one corner. I had noticed in the bathroom while I was washing it off.

I thought of the prickling pain in my shoulder. I thought of the blunt pain in my stomach. The wonderful pain and the pleasure that had taken over me. I thought of how cloudy my head had become. I thought of how much whimpering and moaning I had done. I thought of how much jerking effort and self-mutilation it took me to reach a climax on my own. I thought about he had hardly touched my crotch and yet I had had an incredible orgasm.

I thought about how heavy I had already felt and how heavy he'd made me feel, and then how weightless he had made me feel, and how…unashamed, afraid, and vulnerable.

I drew the handkerchief hesitantly into my fists and lifted it up to my nose. I inhaled deeply and my face fell in disappointment. It smelled like the school's bathroom hand soap and nothing like him. I fell back across my mattress.

I fisted the kerchief in one hand and pressed my hand against my stomach. I could hardly feel a twinge from the healing bruise.

Down in the Sanctum, Dad told me all about when he'd first powered up, and what I should expect. Sure as I got older, I would get stronger, but for now I was most definitely not as strong as him. I will still be able to feel certain pain. "For example," he had said nudging the fading bruise on my jaw, "you'll still be able to feel a punch in the jaw, _especially_ by another super. But then, you won't be able to feel a paper cut or get one." He assured me that he could feel it anytime he punched something big and bad, like a giant robot. It hurt a little for him but it wasn't too bad. He said that I'll heal fast, for example the fading bruises on my face would be gone by morning. He said that my endurance and stamina would grow stronger. He laughed and said that I could lift a truck and throw it two miles if I wanted to. But I hadn't really been listening after he'd said that I could still feel pain.

That had been a relief.

I lifted my hand from my stomach and gathered the bandana into my fists again. I pressed it over my nose again, the inkling of hope being put down. It still smelled like hand soap from the school's bathroom's soap dispenser. I sighed and turned onto my side, pulling my knees up. I watched my thumb circle the bunched up fabric until my eyelids got heavy and sunk low.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I shook the wok and the crab legs flipped around in the caramelized sauce. The steam rose heavily from the pans all around me. My fellow employees were hustling and bustling all around me, speaking Chinese, all the while listening to the meal orders that were being barked to them, and also the motivational barking Shu was doing.

"Hēi! Dòng dòng nǐ de pìgu! Wǒmen gānggāng dédào le qī cān wǔhuì!" She called through the door. _Hey! Move your asses! We just got a meal party of seven!_

There were groans all around. Complaints of everyone wondering aloud what was up with Friday nights and how Americans can put it away, and a few occasional comments toward me to let me know that they weren't talking about me.

I stirred the brown noodle stir fry with a pair of tongs. Shu ducked through the door again, "Biǎo liù xūyào tiān fù luō ba!" _Table six needs the tempura _now_!_

I let out a sigh and reached back into my back pocket for my handkerchief. My fingers dipped in and touched nothing. I reached into my other back pocket, and came up with the same empty result. I checked my front pockets and again, nothing. I lowered my eyebrows, "Where the,"

Then I paused. I thought of the look on little Stronghold's face when my handkerchief had landed in a bunch on his stomach and he had looked back up at me. I let out a breathy chuckle through my nose, _Oh yeah…my little encouragement…_

I reached up and ran my forearm across my perspiring forehead. I grabbed the wok, "Bǎn ba!" _Plate it up!_


	7. Harvard Street

**You know guys, I found it interesting that I have the same exact black hard wristband with buckles that Warren's got. Hehe. Totally by accident too! I wonder if my favorite Firebird shops in Spencer's as well! XDD**

**Oh my God, I was so proud of myself for this chapter. Finished it in an hour or so. That's total time spent on it, mind you. The between periods consist of my watching Mrs. Brown's Boys, or Queer As Folk or refilling my water bottle or taking a trip to the bathroom for a wee from consuming said water bottle. Speaking of which...I need to refill my water bottle. **

**This Friday night, Saturday and Sunday is...are...whatver...they're well deserved for all of us! It was a long week! Enjoy the weekend! Watch gay boy porn, lay on your bed fantasizing about your favorite slash relationship, read a few good fictions, and for fuck's sake catch up on some much-needed Zs! I don't think I slept well one night this week! That's gonna change! I'm gonna sleep all day tomorrow! HAH!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

My fingers jumped from the strings of my acoustic guitar in astonishment. I gripped the neck and the base, quickly turning it slightly up at me. The strings swayed and waved up at my awed face. E, A, D, G, B, e. All of them. Broken. Snapped. I couldn't believe it. I could _not_…freakin' _believe_ it.

I shook my head in disbelief, "You have _got_ to be kidding me…" _I just restrung this! _Just_! One C chord and they all snap! What the hell?_

I cursed my strength. I felt like I had been _extremely_ careful. When me and my Mom and Dad had sat down for dinner, I'd broken my glass of water with one careless grab of my hand. Of course it had scared the crap out of us. Dad then gave me a quick but thorough lesson of how to just pinch things like glasses and other delicate things until I learned the extent of my strength. And also to be careful with biting the prongs on my fork lest they come away in my mouth and I end up chewing metal.

I growled in annoyance and started loosening the keys, removing the strings. After that I took the teeth and removed the string bits at the base. I shook my head, mumbling to myself. I dropped the broken strings in my garbage cans and went over to my desk. I pulled out the long middle drawer and shuffled around for that new pack of strings I bought last week. That is…until I realized that the new pack of strings I'd bought were now lying in my trash can with a couple of tissues, a small sleeve of plastic and a few gum wrappers.

My eyes went up to the ceiling with a groan. I set my sad looking string-less acoustic on my bed. Then I reached up and rubbed at my eyes.

I looked over at my clock and saw that it was 11:17pm. I licked my lips and thought, _I can walk into the city and just make it about twenty minutes before _Blunt Instruments_ closes. _For a moment, my parents' teachings of caution and stranger-danger and the dangerous weirdos that go out at night and I thought against my original plan. I looked sadly to my guitar that I had really been looking forward to playing tonight. I hadn't had much time or thoughts to pick it up all week and it was long overdue. _Wait…If anyone bothers me I can just punch them through the sidewalk…_

I laughed and made up my mind. I yanked on my Converse, then laced them up. I knew it would be another few hours before Mom and Dad got back from Italy so I wasn't worried about being reprimanded. Less than twenty minutes ago, Dad had come in to let me know that the Jetstream and the Commander were needed. "The Leaning Tower of Pizza is falling over. We'll probably end up getting invited to that Italian…thing your mom was talking about…_I don't speak Italian_." He had reached up and taken off his glasses, "So we may not be home for a few hours…or something…I don't know." He turned and left my doorway, mumbling "It's six hours ahead in Europe…? No. But then it's three hours back in California…hmm. Josie! How far ahead is Italy in time?"

I went down the stairs and through the foyer to the front door. I yanked on a jacket. Then I went out and locked the door behind me. I went down the walkway, stuffing my key into my pocket.

I walked quietly, passing under the light from street lamps that cut through the darkness upon the ground. The stars and moon lit up the sky and cast a silver sheen upon the windows on all the houses and buildings I passed.

I hadn't ever gone out walking this late at night. It was kind of nice. The city was interesting at night. And mostly empty. I mean, I passed people occasionally as well as a few cars, but they were docile and hardly said anything to me. One guy with his girlfriend smiled with a nod, and said, "Nice night."

"Yeah it is." I had agreed and kept walking.

I checked my watch and saw that I was running a little behind my schedule.

_Maybe I was enjoying myself a little too much._

I turned onto Harvard Street to cut my walking time to _Blunt Instruments _which was right on the next block. The only sign of life on the street was me. All of the buildings on either side of the street were business offices that were closed up for reconstruction. I ran my hand over a CAT claw machine as I passed it with a smirk, knowing that I could pick the giant hunk of metal right up off of the ground. My palm was dirty when it came away. I grimaced slightly and wiped it off on my coat as I walked.

I heard a distant motor somewhere behind me. _That would be a motorcycle._ I proudly told myself. Yeah, I knew some things about mechanics and…things…Although I still didn't understand what the hell a transmission really was on a car yet…

The sound got closer and closer as I walked. When I was about halfway down Harvard, I saw a light cut through the dark from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and there was the motorcycle, rumbling loudly down the street. It was going pretty fast. The light cast upon me and I turned my head to avoid the light as I walked. The motorcycle sounded like it was slowing down…It went past me and did a U-turn and stopped on the left roadside right ahead of me. I lifted a hand against the headlight.

I heard the motor rumble to a stop and I was temporarily blind. The only source of light on this street were the three street lamps so it took me a second to readjust my eyes to the dark again. My eyes comprehended the biker. I saw a full-face helmet with a tinted shade, a leather jacket, jeans and boots. And something told me that a biker at night that had stopped right in front of me was not a good thing. _Oh great…_ I hadn't actually thought that I would have to use my powers to protect myself.

I clenched my fists and one of my knuckles cracked. The biker reached up under his chin and undid the strap to his helmet. _Here we go…_

He leaned his head forward slightly, and a head of shoulder-length dark hair was released. "Well, what do we have here?"

My limbs froze. My insides froze. My blood froze.

He chuckled in amusement and got off of his motorcycle, setting his helmet down on the seat, "Now just what is Little Stronghold doing out walking late on a Saturday night, hmm?"

I swallowed to wet my dry throat. It didn't work. My heart threw itself against my ribs.

He walked lightly toward me. He tilted his head, "What's wrong? Surprised to see me?" The side of his mouth turned up slightly as he smirked. His scent wafted toward me with a gently night breeze and filled my nostrils. And my body seemed to unfreeze and melt. Nostalgia found me and I breathed deeply through my nostrils, wanting to draw it in as much as I could. There was a hint of Chinese food, but it was hardly noticeable because it was overpowered by his scent. It was the smell of leather, spice, and fire.

He came closer to me and I backed up a few steps. My chest felt hollowed with fear. But I felt something below my waist twitch in interest and excitement. My breath came a bit faster in and out of me.

He reached out a large hand. His black wristband that was buckled around his wrist peeked from under the sleeve of his leather jacket. He placed it upon my chest and gave me a good shove. I gasped and grunted when my back came into contact with cold, hard bricks.

He chuckled, firmly taking my chin in between his strong fingers. "Just what are you doing out here at about 12 o'clock in the morning?" A small shudder went through me and I could tell that he had noticed. He tilted his head the other way, studying my face.

I shuddered again when I felt his free hand against my ribs. I felt it slide across and then slowly drag the zipper to my jacket down. He pushed either side of my jacket open and I felt his fingers slip under the hem of my shirt. My stomach drew in slightly as I felt his warm fingers slither across my sensitive skin.

"Forget how to speak, Stronghold?" He asked huskily.

His fingers slid across my stomach, and clenched my hip in a bruising grip. It made my muscles jump. His fingers quickly became searing hot. I squeezed my eyes shut and yelled out. I felt his hand leave my chin and move down my neck, dragging his boiling hot fingertips across my skin. I felt his teeth clamp harshly down on the nape of my neck. I cried out, and I could feel my erection hardening and weeping against my jeans.

He pushed my jacket from my shoulders and I heard it flop to the unforgiving ground. In my nostrils came the smell of burning fabric. I flinched back against the brick as my shirt fell to ashes, leaving me half naked in the middle of Harvard Street at almost 12 o'clock in the morning.

I cried out when his hands burned across my vulnerable skin. I squirmed, and whimpered. His teeth left throbbing, agonizing trails up and down either side of my neck. He was making me tremble as my muscles tightened up and that pleasurable weight started laying heavily down upon me. I could swear that I would go insane with the pain, and the aching arousal that he just would not touch.

I reached downward to hook my fingers around my penis on my own, to try and provide myself with relief.

"What do you think you're doing?" He growled into my ear.

His large hands hooked around my wrists and yanked them up against the brick high above my head, making balance almost on the tips of my toes.

I flinched when I felt his warm lips press against mine. Dear god, I moaned right against his lips. He bit my lower lip hard, and then ran his tongue against the blood that he'd drawn. His tongue plunged into my mouth and rigidly traced my gums on my upper jaw, the roof of my mouth and my taste buds.

I heard the rush of flames and my wrists lit up in white hot pain as he sucked on my tongue. I whimpered and pulled at my wrists. I cried out, the pain growing, the weight getting the heaviest it has ever been since the first time I masturbated when I was twelve years old.

Tears brimmed my eyes and spilled over. "Please,"

He clamped my wrists into one flaming hand and the other trailed its flames down my bare chest and I cried out.

"_Please_."

He sunk his teeth into my shoulder. His fingertips dug hard into my stomach.

"_Please!_"

My eyes shot open and I cried out in pain.

I closed my eyes and then I started gasping for my lost breath. It felt like there was a fuzzy storm cloud in my head, as if my _brain_ had fallen asleep. I laid there, seeing nothing but the darkness behind my eyelids for I don't know how long. Maybe an hour, maybe ten minutes, maybe thirty seconds.

My breath was back and I started to become awake and aware. I opened my eyes and met darkness again except for the moonlight coming through my window. I put a shaky hand onto my mattress and pushed myself to sit up from lying on my side. My comforter was bunched at my feet. I looked around and found my room.

My mom and dad were in Italy.

I was in my room, alone in my house.

I reached up and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. I reached down and touched the wet crotch of my boxers where my exhausted member lay hidden. I laid a searching hand out across my sheets and my fingers slipped through semen.

I wiped my palm off on my soiled sheets and rubbed at my eyes. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 12:01am exactly. I took in a deep breath and let it out very slowly.

I turned and pushed myself from my bed. I slid down my boxers and tossed them onto my bed. I stood in the moonlight, staring at the mess. Then I took hold of the sheets and took them off of my mattress, the comforter falling to the floor and my pillows sliding to the middle of the mattress.

I bunched them up in my arms and walked from my room and down the hall to the laundry room. I opened the washer and stuffed my sheets and boxers inside. I poured some detergent in and then closed the lid and twisted the knob. I heard the water start streaming into the machine, spilling across my come-covered sheets.

I leaned down and rested my arms against the cold metal. I bent my head down and laid my forehead against it.

That was my first erotic dream…first any kind of dream about…Warren.


	8. As Usual

**Well...After I received an angry message from one of my Oxygen readers that threatened to spank me with a tractor trailer, I figured, "Well, school just got over with, I have time before my next exam...I think I made them wait a bit too long." I usually have a policy in which I wait for about eight comments between chapters before I post another one. You know, just to make sure ya'll are commited to reading it, and I'm not writing it for no reason. **

**But I had no idea that I had made you guys wait about 2 months. All I can say is wow. I really didn't think it had been that long. I feel kinda bad now. All I can do is say that I have more time on my hands since school is over with, and I won't make you wait 2 months for another chapter. **

**I did get several emails which informed me that people have been favoriting and following this story, but I didn't get as many comments. I play off of your comments guys. Without critique I have no way to bend my work. I proof read my work _ONCE_ because I'm a lazy bum who wears contact lens, or sometimes glasses and has the attention span of a _JELLY FISH_****. Believe it or not, I need you guys. I pay you as my editors by providing you with beastly slashy scenes of interaction and soon to be sweaty, violent sex.**

**So help me to help you! **

**Just gonna mention something quickly. I made an omelet at about 1030 pm...and it was the best fapping omelet ever...Just sayin'. It has a bunch of vegetables in it, and turkey bacon. It's totally not what you would think. It's seriously...the Best Omelet EVER. That's what I named it. For omelet lovers, I'll send you the recipe if you make a request...Go omelets. Seriously. Omelets are fapping awesome...just sayin'...**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Will?"

"Hmm?" I turned my head, and the grass blades tickled at my cheek. Layla was sitting cross-legged in a grass green skirt and a ruffled lime green top with flower stitching up the front of it. Beside her, Magenta was lying on her stomach with her combat boots kicking lightly, and with her dark eyes trained on me. Ethan had a textbook in his lap and was quizzing Zack on sidecar guidelines to prepare for the quiz that they had the next day.

"Where do you go when you fuzz out like that?" Layla asked.

Zack glanced over at me, "Yeah, he _has_ been a little more in his head lately. More than usual." He looked back to Ethan and said in an uneasy voice, "Um…duck?"

Ethan shrugged, "Well technically it's 'duck and cross your arms' but I guess you were close enough." He licked his lips and leafed through the pages. "And I agree with Zack. You've been pretty distracted lately, Will. Is the Hero class really that tough?"

I shrugged and looked back up at the sky. "I dunno. It's harder, yeah. I still don't know the difference between a beam and a ray in Mad Science…But I guess I got Gwen to help me through that."

Zack laughed, "Oh _yeah_, he's thinkin' about _Gwen_! _That's_ why he's been so out of it!" Zack and Ethan snorted with laughter while pointing at me and mocking me with the old K-I-S-S-I-N-G song.

Layla squinted slightly, "She's a _Senior_."

Magenta added very closely at the end, "And those two are _idiots_."

Zack and Ethan looked at Layla and they both asked, "So?"

Magenta snorted to herself and took a triumphant crunch of a celery stick which Layla had brought for all of us to snack on.

Layla sighed quietly and looked at Magenta who shared her gaze. They both shook their heads after a second, as if they just had had a conversation without speaking.

I shook my head in reassurance, "Guys, it's not Gwen. Honestly. I'd tell you if I liked her or not."

Magenta narrowed one of her eyes at me and I'm pretty sure I was the only one who saw her do it. The others resigned their interrogation and simply went back to what they were doing. I perplexedly looked back at Magenta who continued with the narrowed eye gaze. Just as I felt she was starting to penetrate my inner secrets with her dark eyes, she lifted her celery stick to her mouth and crunched down on it and then she looked away as if nothing had happened. A shiver went down my spine and I shook my head with a sigh. I looked back up at the clouds and brushed off an ant that I felt crawling up my ankle.

Aside from Magenta and now Layla's crunching, and Ethan quizzing Zach, it was quiet. Outside of my head it was anyway…

Inside of my head, it was a constant parade of questions.

_What do I do? If I do anything, there's always a chance that he'll kick my ass all over the place. But what if he liked it? Then what should I do? I still have his bandana. It had fire on it, so it might have been personal. I could give it back to him and talk to him. But what if he doesn't even want to talk to me? How come he did those things anyway? How come he gave me his bandana? I thought he hated my guts. But he watched me whenever he hurt me. He looked like he liked it. Does he like pain too? Just in a different way? What's that called? I forgot. But what if it's not like that at all and he just thought it was funny? Why would he ever affiliate himself with _me_? He hates my dad, and he hates me. Well it seemed like it. He didn't beat me up in the locker room for no reason. But he admired his handiwork the next day and then watched me when he…So he could be a…whatever it was called._

"What's it called when someone likes watching people in pain?" I blurted.

Everyone paused and looked at me. I turned my head and looked at them, instantly realizing how that sounded when it came out of my mouth randomly.

Magenta cocked an eyebrow at me, "'Watching people in pain'?"

Layla asked, "Where did that come from?"

A lie came to my lips faster than I could have imagined it. "I saw something about it on Taboo when I was channel surfing the other day." _Wow…_

Ethan said, "I think you're talking about sadism. For example, gaining gratification from causing pain or degradation to others. Is that what you mean?"

I nodded, "Yeah I think that's it."

Zach asked, "What do you mean by 'gratification'?"

We looked at Zach. I could tell in all of our minds we were seriously contemplating how to explain what kind of 'gratification' that Ethan was referring to. Well except Magenta who had her habits of being blunt when the situation called for it.

Ethan started, "Well technically it can have several meanings. For example it can be like a proud or superior sort of gratification. Or it could be,"

"_Sexual_ gratification." Magenta broke in with a celery stick hanging from her lips like a cigar. Zach looked at Magenta blankly for a second and started, "Sexual gratification, what's that sup…ohhh."

I smiled at the enlightenment that came over Zach's face. Layla seemed to join in on my amusement because she smiled too.

"Oh, wow." Zach said, looking into space for a few minutes. "That's kinda kinky…"

Magenta snorted and I have no idea why that set us off but we all started laughing. Zach was laughing too but he said between snorts, "What? It is!"

After a few minutes, Ethan was holding up one hand with the other pressed against his stomach, "Okay. Okay. C'mon, Zach. We gotta study." The laughter died down to snickering which sounded less and less. I brushed my hair back with my fingers and looked back up at the sky, delving into my thoughts again.

_I'm a masochist. He obviously knows that now. Is he a sadist? It makes sense. It sure seems like it. What should I do?_

I heaved a sigh and tucked my hands into my pockets casually. My right hand closed around the folded up piece of black fabric that was his bandana. _What should I do if I see you tomorrow?_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

My hand reached out and my palm flattened against the snooze bar on my alarm clock. I remained still after that. Then, seeming only like two seconds later, my alarm went off again and I pressed my palm against the snooze bar.

I turned my face out of my pillow and breathed in deeply and groggily sighed. I rolled over onto my side and slid out of my bed, my black comforter spilling off the edge of my mattress. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth and yawned quietly against it. I dragged my feet out of my bedroom, stretching out my sleep ridden muscles. I reached up and combed the tangles out of my hair with my fingers as I went down the stairs.

I paused at the bottom and picked a sticky note off of the railing. It read:

Hey,

I have meetings with branches

of the Department of Defense.

I can't make dinner at the

Lantern tonight. I'm sorry.

Love Me

I stared dully at the note. Then I crumpled it in my fist and continued to the kitchen where I threw the note into the trashcan. I poured myself a glass of orange juice and cracked a couple eggs into a pan.

I shook my head, eating my breakfast with a fork right out of the hot pan. _The woman shouldn't make promises she can't keep. _

I thought that I should have been used to it by now. It wasn't exactly my mom's fault that her hero job kept her from home most of the time. But I couldn't help but be a little ticked.

But I finished my breakfast without a fuss. I glanced up at the ceiling where her bedroom was right above me. Then I heaved a sigh. _If I can't make her dinner, the least I can do is make the woman some breakfast…she never eats in the morning…_

I cracked an egg into a bowl, poured in a little milk, and some cinnamon. I whisked that all up, sliced two thick pieces from the loaf of bread that she'd brought home, thinking that we would do something with it together over the weekend. I dipped the bread in the egg mixture and tossed them into the pan.

Once they were finished, I smeared butter over the top of them and set them up on a serving plate. I put the syrup bottle, a glass of orange juice and a fork and knife on the plate and I brought it upstairs. I brewed her some coffee and set a mug of that on the plate as well. I nudged open her bedroom door.

She was sleeping in a cocoon of her blankets with only the top of her dark head of hair showing. I set her breakfast onto her nightstand and then left the room, shutting the door behind me.

I got dressed, brushed my teeth, pulled on my boots, yanking on my leather jacket, grabbed my bag, and went out the door. I went into the garage and walked my Harley out. I pulled the garage door closed and then straddled my bike. I slid on my helmet and buckled it. I started up the engine and gunned it down my driveway.

"Warren!" I heard my mom call behind me. I kept going, pretending that I hadn't heard her over the sound of the motor.

* * *

I parked my motorcycle in my usual spot that was right across from the bus stop so it was always waiting for me when I got off the bus. I leaned my head slightly forward and pulled off my helmet. I buckled it over the handlebar and stuffed the keys into my pocket. I dismounted my bike and slung my bag over my shoulder.

Then I turned and started across the street. There were three other kids who got on at the same place, and they always avoided me, too afraid to even cast a nervous glance at me. As usual, I was right on time because the bus was coming down the street. I got across as soon as it stopped.

I climbed onto the bus, ignoring the fact that everyone cast their eyes downward, even the bus driver. My usual seat was empty, as usual. I slid into it and drew my iPod out of my pocket. I applied my earphones, flicked my iPod on shuffle, closed my eyes and blocked out the world.

As usual, I remained alone in my seat through the entire ride. I paid no attention to the excitement that came with every morning when the bus took off into the air. I opened my eyes when the bus landed smoothly on the floating school grounds. The seatbelts that had thrown themselves across my chest retracted and I stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I exited the bus and walked across the grounds to the steps.

I walked down the hallways, listening to my music play in my ears, ignoring the chatter of the students. When I got to my locker, which had nobody near it as usual, I switched out books and brushed my hair behind one of my ears. I dropped my stuff off in my first class and left to fill up my water bottle, as usual.

The warning bell rang and I switched off my iPod, wrapped my earphones around it, and stuffed it into my pocket. I arrived at the fountain as the hallways became just about empty, as usual. I started filling up my water bottle.

"Um…Warren?"

I cocked an eyebrow and looked to the left. There was Stronghold in his usual getup of a shirt that somehow incorporated red, white and blue. He had his hands clenched around my black bandana closely in front of him. He licked his lips nervously, looking up at me.

This wasn't part of my usual morning ritual.

_This oughta be good…_


	9. Starting And Quiting

**You know...I went to bed at 5am last night and I got woken up at like 11:44am cuz my cellphone went off...That stunk...Then I ate my delicious frosted min wheats for my brekky...and they were awesome. Then I just sat on my bum and watched food network all afternoon...That is until me and my mom cooked up and ate 5 dozen steamers(clams), garlic pasta with shrimp and spinach, and two lobsters all on our own...**

**Yeah, I was feeling chubby tired after that...but still I stayed up and worked on this chapter for ya'llzzz. Right now it's 2:59am on Father's Day. Happy Father's Day by the way. I'm making my dad The Best Omelet EVAAAR, which I mentioned in my last post. He'd better like it...**

**Also I forgot to mention in my last post, that a little while ago, Sky High was on TV, and I was like O_O It's a sign. So I had started working on chapter 8. It's weird how things like that happen. Like one time I was watching A Haunting and a tree fell on a house. Three seconds later, the apple tree at the end of my driveway just randomly breaks in half...It was really sketchy...**

**Anyways! Hope you love the chapter! It's fapping delicious and has no sex at all! (Don't worry. The hot, sweaty, violent sex is coming soon...so quit yer pouting.)**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

He looked back to filling his water bottle.

"Well, what do we have here?"

I swallowed, déjà vu throbbing against my temple. I quickly chased that dream out of my head. I was having enough trouble as it was keeping control of myself. I was scared out of my mind. It took all the courage I had to go looking for him. But it was that fear that made me walk up to him.

Part of me was shivering in happiness that I had. The air around him was warm, and I could smell him. I kept my lips pressed together for another reason other than to keep them from trembling. I breathed deeply through my nose, drawing in the smell of leather, spicy fire.

He screwed the cap onto his water bottle and then looked down at me.

"Uh-I…I-I…" My throat felt so dry and a shiver scuttled through my ribs.

"Forget how to speak, Stronghold?" He asked huskily. His dark eyes were peeling away any composure that I had left.

I sunk my teeth into my lip, casting my gaze down from his. I had to yet again chase the dream out of my head. I thought of anything to keep _it_ under control. The neighbor's cat dragging his butt across the grass! Billy Mays interrupting my TV shows and raving about Oxyclean! Dad's gross tuna fish salad sandwiches! Tomatoes!

I held out his bandana in both of my hands. "Th-thank you." I said quietly. He looked at the black fabric and then he made that airy chuckling sound without smiling. He gathered it into his fist, his warm fingertips brushed against my hands. He looked at it.

"Well this got back to me quicker than I thought." He said. His voice was low, deep and quiet. He tucked it into his back pocket and looked back down at me. "There something else you wanted, _Stronghold_?" His voice was a bit louder and sounded a bit annoyed.

I took in a breath and I scrambled for something to say. I hadn't thought it out this far. I thought he would have simply punched me in the stomach and walked away. That would have seemed easier for me. But at this moment I knew I still would have tried to talk to him the next day simply because he had hit me.

But then he started walking away, his long legs taking deep, steady strides. I wasn't sure if he had dismissed me because of my silence, or if he was expecting me to follow after and talk to him. Whatever I was supposed to do, I had to do it quick. But what was I supposed to do? _Why didn't I bother to think this through?_

"D…Do you wanna hang out after school today?"

He paused. I swallowed hard. Dear god, I felt like I was going to shudder and gulp myself to death. But since I'd just blurted the first thing that came to my mind, I figured I had already just tossed myself into a big, deep, sandy hole that I couldn't get out of. _Might as well keep going with it…_

I took the steps necessary to get within about a yard from him. I tried to speak with a little more confidence this time, "Do you…want to uh," I failed of course. "Do you want to hang out after," I stopped then because he turned around and looked down at me with his dark, hooded eyes. It was so impossible to read anything in them. All I saw were dark orbs that would make any sane person avert their gaze. I really wanted to look away. But then again, I really wanted to move closer and see deeper into those eyes. I remembered how I had been close enough to see feeling in them. It was amusement, and what I have a feeling now was pleasure.

I shifted my feet nervously. I wanted him to say something. Anything. React somehow. Do something. Anything. _Punch me or something! Do anything!_

He cocked an eyebrow down at me.

_Well that's _something_ at least…even if it could possible mean utter annoyance…_

"What makes you think that we can 'hang out'? We are _not_ friends, Stronghold." He said. I swallowed again looking down to floor, words streaming out of my mouth to fill in any possible silence, "I know you don't…well actually I don't know…but I thought that… well I figured,"

"Plus, Daddy probably wouldn't approve of you hanging around with someone like me and probably wouldn't want someone like me inside his house." He said in a light mocking tone, and I'd heard it only a few times but I realized that there was a little amusement in his voice.

"My parents aren't home in the afternoons. I thought we could," I said.

"Thought we could what, Stronghold? Watch TV? Play video games like a couple of buddies?" He glanced at the ceiling, "Oh wait, that's probably not what you were thinking." He gave me a hard shove and my back banged against a locker. "Me knocking you from room to room is probably what you had in your masochistic little mind." His hair fell from behind his ear as he came closer.

I gasped slightly when his free hand enclosed on my collar and he was pressing me hard up against the locker. I shivered.

Those eyes were close to mine. They were slightly hooded from having to look down at me. And dear god, he was so close that I was inhaling dangerous amounts of his scent. I just wanted to lean forward and breathe deeply against his chest. And I had no idea why at all.

I had had an obsession with The Strokes when I was middle school and I still frequently indulged in endless hours of listening to their albums over and over again. But I had never had such an obsession with a scent. Sure, I noticed when Mom had switched from Downy fabric softener to Snuggle, and I appreciated the change. But I'd never wanted to just smother my nostrils in a smell before.

"Guess I was right." He muttered. I wasn't exactly hard, but I guess he could see whatever look was pooling in my eyes and quite possibly a blush in my cheeks.

His gloved hand loosened on my collar and glided across my shoulder and fisted the back of my hair roughly. I grunted when he pulled slightly. "Doesn't matter." He said as he began to study me. His gaze traveled across my face, delving deeply into my eyes. I was used to Magenta studying people with her dark eyes, as if she was working things out. And it was creepy. When he did it…it just felt like he already knew. And part of me found it terrifying and wanted to hide, but the other part just wanted to open up to vulnerability and let him see everything. Give him the opportunity to take what he wanted and bat everything else to the floor.

Then I felt my muscles tense and my heart freeze when he smiled. Actually smiled. Not a one-sided smirk. But a genuine smile.

"I have to work this afternoon." He pulled a little harder on my hair and it cause me to release an involuntary whimper. I jumped when the bell rang and he glanced away. It was the beginning of first period and I was late.

When he looked back down at me, the smile was entirely gone. As if it had never been there. Something fell inside of me.

He let go of my hair, "Well, Stronghold, you made me late." He still remained close, so I couldn't make a move without rubbing against him.

"I-I'm sor,"

"Shut up." He said dully. And he stepped back and started walking away from me. This time it was a dismissal. But something in me had grown persistent. It must have been from inhaling his scent so deeply…

"Where do you work?" I asked.

He paused. Then he turned slightly, and looked over his shoulder at me with a cocked eyebrow. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying my hardest not to cast my gaze down from his annoyed, critical eyes.

"You aren't ever going to give up, are you?" He asked.

I licked my dry lips and stood my ground. I was nervous as hell and scared out of my mind with my heart pounding hard against my ribs. My neck muscles tensed, waiting for what he would say or do next.

He heaved a sigh, and looked down at the floor. Then he asked, looking over his shoulder again, "Where do you live?"

All the blood must have left my face, and another shiver rampage across my chest, down my limbs to my fingertips and my toes. I swallowed hard and managed to say, "I live in the Northern suburbs…Number 253 in White Hills…Right off of Little Creek…" He stared at me for a long moment, and then he brushed his hair behind his ear and walked away.

I said nothing and let him disappear down the hallway. I had no idea what was going to sprout from this entire conversation that started at the water fountain this morning that made us both late for our first classes. My mind wandered nervously as I went to class. I wondered if he was going to come to my house that afternoon after he got off work whenever that was. _Why did he ask where I lived? He said we weren't friends, and made it seem like he didn't like me at all. But then he got so close again…he pulled my hair…and he _smiled_ at me…_

Sure, I was confused out of my mind and worried. But at the moment, the big, deep, sandy hole that I had tossed myself into seemed okay.

"Gee! Welcome to class, Mr. Stronghold! And you walked in at such an appropriate time! You can hand out these Plaserillium Kyrptonalitite samples to incorporate into the lab that we already started without you!" Mr. Medula said as I walked in the room. "Be careful handling them please, seeing as you have powers now, they could quite possibly _damage_ you!"

I was too out of it to even privately roll my eyes at my big headed teacher's comments. "Yes, Mr. Medula."

"Would you like some help, Will?"

I glanced back at Gwen who sat our lab table in the back. She offered an apologetic smile. I shook my head, "That's okay Gwen, I got it."

Mr. Medula indicated a large glass container with little pebbles of glowing crystals of different colors that were separated like a big box of colored beads. "Please do put on gloves and handle them carefully, each table needs one of every color so you can identify the effects of the type of element within the element! If that does not make sense to you, please refer to your textbook and figure it out yourself! Quickly now, Mr. Stronghold!"

I heaved a sigh, becoming aware of and more a part of the classroom rather than a part of a conversation that had happened near the water fountain in the southern wing where I felt like something was starting...

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"I am going out with Richard Stevens!"

I turned and looked over my shoulder. Then I turned back with a loud groan of annoyance. I lifted my cigarette to my lips and took a long drag. Lan came bouncing up to stand next to me.

She was smiling widely. She shook me by the arm. "It's official. He asked me out this afternoon before study hall!"

I rolled my eyes and said dully, "I'm so freakin' happy for you…" Lan scoffed, "You always are. But I'm serious. I've told you about Richard before right?"

I leaned my head back with an enthusiastic and obnoxiously loud groan.

"Oh come on!"

I took an extremely long drag from my cig and held it until my lungs burned. Then I let out a long smoke stream.

"Talk with me, or I'll tell Shu that you walked to the park to have a cigarette during your break." Lan said and then she giggle impishly. I rubbed at my eyes with my free hand. I lifted my cig to my lips again. "Fire away." I said in a low, raspy and annoyed voice.

"Speaking of cigarettes, I thought you were actually trying to quit?" she said. I closed my eyes, "I did. This is my first cig since Thursday."

She pursed her lips with a nod, "Wow. You went _three_ and a _half_ days." I sighed, "You know, I came out here to chill out, have a smoke and you're really making my walk out here seem pointless." Then she did something that surprised the hell out of me. She snatched my cigarette from my fingers. "What the f,"

"Warren! What is it about these things that are so good? They smell. They mess up your teeth and your breath. They lead to various cancers. They kill your athleticism because you won't be able to fucking _breathe_ if you try to run fast. Huh? What is it about them?" She looked up at me with her upset eyes. "Seriously? Tell me! What?"

Then she did something else that surprised the hell out of me. She lifted the cig to her lips and took a hearty drag.

She blew out smoke with a cough, shaking her head. She coughed a few more times and I reached out to touch her shoulders, "Lan,"

"They taste like they smell! _Awful_!" She said, shoving me. She threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it with her foot, grinding it into the gravel. "Seriously," She paused to cough and wipe the tears that had welled in her eyes when she'd started coughing. "Those things are gonna kill everything about you. And then they're literally gonna kill you one day."

I stared silently down into her eyes. She shook her head, looking away from me, settling her hands on her hips. "My god…" she mumbled. She looked back at me and wiped at her mouth and spit on the ground. "Disgusting…why did you even start?" She muttered, wiping her lips. Then she looked back at me again.

She reached out her hand, "Gimme the pack."

"Lan,"

"No. _Please_, Warren. Please gimme the pack. You _have_ to quit. _Please_." She said, shaking her head, still holding out her small hand. I looked down at her palm and back into her eyes.

She shook her head, "I know I don't understand how hard it is to quit. But I do know that you have to quit. My Aunt Yun Ting does acupuncture. I can get you an appointment. You can do the nicotine patch, the gum, _something_." Her hand still was outstretched persistently toward me. "I'm trying to help you, Warren. You're my friend and I want to help. Just give me the pack."

There was a long moment of silence. I knew all those facts about smoking. Those were the effects on mortals. Those with super powers were affected differently. Despite the power, a super had a stronger body than a mortal. I did a lot of weight lifting and running, so I knew that smoking had no effect on that. At the moment. Sure, I could smell it on my clothes and on my breath at times. I did know from Super Biology class that supers, no matter what their power, were less susceptible to disease and sickness because of the strong genetic makeup that had to house one's powers.

But that didn't make it any better. I had tried to quit before, knowing full well that it was a nasty habit. Non-smokers out there didn't understand that it is so hard to quit when you've been doing it for a while. I often wished that I hadn't even picked up a cigarette to begin with. I hated having to rely on things and people. I truly hated it, because one way or another, I often just had to rely on myself.

So I reached into my back pocket and took out my pack. I placed it into her palm and her fingers curled around it. She smiled lightly and then reached out to rub at my arm. "Want me to call Aunt Yun Ting?" I gave a small nod, "If it helps." She nodded and we started walking back to the Paper Lantern, "Don't worry. If it helped Bill Engvall quit, it'll do wonders for you."

I lowered my eyebrows and looked at her. "_Bill Engvall_? Are you kidding me?"

"What? He's really _funny_!" she cried.

I rubbed at my eyes, "Oh Jesus…"

She laughed, "Shut up…Oh, _anyways_, about my new boyfriend!"

I groaned.


	10. The Boathouse

**Well I hope everyone had a wonderful fourth of July. For those who don't live outside of the US...uh well, I dunno what you do on this holiday. Haha, the Brits probably sit around and sip earl grey tea and chew on crumpets and mumble "We could've won..." XDD I love the Brits! You guys most likely have way more fun than I do on the fourth of July. I just walked around town with my friend Tiffany in the sweltering hot sun with my longish green hair, and got kisses from every dog I met, and got pelted with candy from passing parade floats and ate an awesome banana split with two vanilla scoops and a scoop of cotton candy ice cream in the middle with hot fudge and caramell and a whipped cream mountain on each scoop of ice cream and TWO cherries. Not one, but TWO...**

**I'm sorry I think i just drooled a little bit...**

**I'm sorry to say that I'll be going camping, and I won't be back until the 17th. I have no internet access, and no laptop access, so I won't be able to do any posting for the next ten days. Don't worry though my friends, I'll be back, and will most likely have worked on the next couple chapters in my journal which I can transfer to my laptop when I get back. **

**Anyways, I figured I ought to at least give you guys a chapter before I left. And I am very, extremely happy to say that this chapter contains the lovely hot, sweaty, violent sex that you guys have been waiting for. It's not the best I've written, and I know you guys might be a little mad once you reach the chapter's end...hint hint, a bit of a cliffhanger...eheh...^_^' **

**But nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy it. I hope to come back on the 17th and find a bunch of comment notices in my mailbox in which you guys say things like "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT ME HANGIN! OH YOU STINKIN...YOU'D BETTER COME BACK AND POST _THREE_ CHAPTERS YOU LETTUCE HEAD!" **

**Haha, I've been called Treehead, but never Lettuce Head. XDDD That's interesting. I love you guys, I'll miss you, I hope you'll miss me too, and I hope you guys like the chapter. See ya when I get back! Kisses!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I didn't bother to bite back my twelfth yawn. I reached up and rubbed at my eyes. Then I dragged my hands down my face. My eyelids were heavy with tiredness. I made myself sit up and I wrapped my arms around my shins and laid my chin on my kneecaps. I drew in a breath and heaved a long, tired sigh.

I was sitting on the roof right outside of my bedroom window. The street was lit up by a few streetlights and the porch lights of most of the neighboring houses. The night was warm, and dim under the sliver of the moon and quiet.

I turned my wrist to get a glance at my watch. According to the blue digital numbers, it was 10:46pm. I went back to hugging my shins and tilted my head so my cheek was lying against my kneecaps. I didn't know why I was still sitting out here.

When I'd gotten home, I'd gone inside, and done my homework; at least what I could understand of it. And then I had simply waited around. First I had sat in the backyard on the poolside, ears twitching every time I heard a vehicle going by, or the neighbor's cat meowing at passersby, trying to get them to pet him. Then I'd made camp up in my room, plucking at my guitar until dinnertime, glancing out of my windows every time I saw or thought I saw movement out of my peripheral vision.

And after finishing a family dinner, and helping with the dishes, I retreated back to my room and then climbed out my window where I sat quietly as the day sank into night.

I felt like sitting out here any longer would be pointless and I should just climb back through my window, lie down in my bed and just conk out. But then again, I felt like that if I went inside and went to sleep, he would come by and I would miss him. Sure it was almost eleven o'clock on a school night. Sure I'd been up since 5:30am and I was exhausted.

The thing was, I didn't know Warren that well, but I did learn that he has the tendency to be _completely_ unpredictable. Earlier this afternoon, during my little excursion to use handing his bandana over as a way to speak with him, I was sure he was just gonna shove me against a wall, assault my stomach with his hard knuckles while holding my wrists above my head with a single big, strong hand. But he'd surprised me by being physically civil aside from pushing me up against the locker and pulling my hair.

I had thought that he was just gonna say "Buzz off, Stronghold," or "Get lost, Stronghold," or "Fuck you, Stronghold," when I had asked where he worked. But he'd surprised me with what looked like a sign of him actually giving in. He'd surprised me by asking me where I _lived_. Warren was calling the shots and I knew it.

I closed my eyes. _Well, since he's not coming tonight, what am I gonna say to him if I see him tomorrow? It'd be nice if I didn't go off half-cocked and pull another 'nothing to say' stunt like I did today…_

I think I might have dozed off. Couldn't have been for more than a minute, at least that's what it felt like. But something woke me up. I opened my eyes, my ears perking, listening to the sound that was breaking the quietness of night. It was a motor…an engine…one of those two. And it was coming. I had a little déjà vu when I realized that it was a motorcycle.

I lifted my head from my knees and looked down the street.

A moment later I saw a headlight cut through the darkness and turn onto my street. It rolled placidly down the street, hardly making enough noise to stir anyone in the neighborhood from their sleep. It kept coming. It got closer and closer. And it pulled to the side and stopped…_right in front of my house_.

The biker was wearing a full-face helmet, jeans, boots, gloves and a leather jacket. The visor turned and looked up in my direction. I looked back, surprise, and disbelief stirring around inside of me. Then the biker turned his visor away from me and looked forward. The biker undid the buckle under the chin and leaned forward slightly. The helmet slid off and a head of long dark hair with one streak of red emerged.

And _he_ looked up at me. _Oh…my…god. _I had never had such an accurate dream. My mind wandered briefly, wondering if it would become as it had in my dream.

In the light from our porch, I could see his face looking up at me. He brushed his hair behind one ear and then gestured up at me to come down. Dear god, I became aware of my shaking, nervous, flabbergasted body. My heart was beating so quickly.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

Once the Lantern had closed up, I had spent some time with Lan who had phoned her Aunt to talk about setting up an appointment for me. She had smiled, looked at me and asked if I wanted to ask Shu if I could leave early to make it in to her Aunt's in the afternoon. I shrugged, and she filled my silent void by saying that Shu was the one who wanted me to quit and most likely wouldn't mind. She had set it all up for me, and was all smiles when she hung up the phone. She had looked at me and then frowned. "You might wanna get your haircut before you go in tomorrow. My Aunt will think you're a grunger."

That was my cue to split. There was nothing more agitating than the Cut Your Hair argument and I was not in the mood. Once I'd gotten out to my bike I had paused, remembering Stronghold. And with a smirk, I'd made a bet to myself that he was probably sitting up waiting to see if I'd show up at his place. So I decided to know if I had won the bet.

So I biked a little over twenty minutes to White Hills and found number 253. And sure enough, I spotted little Stronghold sitting on the roof. I had chuckled to myself and thought, _Well, what do ya know?_

I raised my hand in a gesture that clearly asked, "What are doing, dumbass? You coming down?" Stronghold must have understood because he quickly shuffled to the edge of the roof and slid right off of it. He landed in the grass below, his legs absorbing the impact at a crouch. Then he rose up to stand and made his way across the lawn, glancing back at the house frequently, probably waiting to see if any lights would turn on.

"Uh, hi." He said nervously as he got closer to me.

I said nothing, but held my helmet toward him.

The midget simply paused and looked at it, "…Uh…"

I dulled my eyes at the twerp and said, "You said you wanted to hang out after school." He licked his lips and stammered, "Well, I, uh," "Either put on the helmet and get on, or just climb back up there and go to bed, Stronghold." I said quietly and firmly, sort of growling. He looked at me, and his eyes strayed worriedly back to the helmet.

_Ladies and gentlemen, is Stronghold interested enough to get on the bike? Or will he retreat back into the safety his house because he's scared if Daddy will find out? Either way, he'll still come trotting back to me like a mouse to cheese…like a masochist to pain…_

I watch Stronghold curl his lip inward and look back at his house. My eyes rolled and I shook my head, starting to bring my helmet closer to me to put it back on. Then Stronghold surprised me by saying nervously, "I…don't need it. I'm indestructible." And then he climbed onto my bike behind me. I cocked my eyebrow and smirked slightly to myself. So I pulled my helmet back on and buckled the strap under my chin. Then I brought my motorcycle to life and grasped the handlebars. I could almost feel him hugging my bike with his knees, and gripping the seat in his hands.

"Hold onto me or you'll fall off the back." I said over my shoulder.

I waited a moment while he hesitated. And then I felt his trembling hands settle against my sides. I gently throttled the gas and did a U-turn. Then I ghosted out of little Stronghold's neighborhood. _Hmm, where the hell am I gonna take him now?_

I knew the city and its suburbs pretty well_._ There were a bunch of places I could take him. I didn't want something that would scare the shit out of little Stronghold. Something that would make him uncomfortable at least. There was _The Gray Cue_ which was a bar mixed up with various amounts of pool table games and a few poker tables. But that was too crowded. There was that vast campground outside of the Eastern suburbs that was a little further away from the city. But that was too far away for tonight.

Then I smirked. I knew a place to take him. So I gunned it, making my bike roar against the silence of the night. And also making Stronghold gasp behind me, and shift his hands quickly to settle tightly against my stomach. His head pressed against my shoulder. But he quickly lifted his head and made his hands leave my stomach and settle, trembling, against my sides again. "S-s-sorry." I heard him murmur.

I steered away from the suburbs and rode about ten minutes outside of White Hills.

I stopped and silenced my bike in the parking lot of the _Winston Greens Park_. I reached up and undid the strap of my helmet and pulled it off. Stronghold's hands left my sides. I hung my helmet off one handlebar and kicked down the kickstand. Then I took the keys and stuffed them into my pocket as I dismounted.

I tucked my hands into my pockets and walked silently under the fancy iron arch. I heard Stronghold shuffle quickly to follow just beside me. I could feel him glance up at me, but I kept my gaze forward. The night was silent except for my boots and his Converse brushing quietly across the stone path that was lined with fancy looking light poles and went past picnic tables and golf courses. He followed me deeper into the park and then away from it where we followed a trail down a hill surrounded by trees.

Then the trees opened up to the lake. I walked across the shoreline and walked down the planks of the dock that led to the boathouse and water that was most likely above Stronghold's head. Then I settled down in one of the wooden chairs that littered the porch of the boathouse which was lit up with an overhead light that moths were fluttering around. I put my feet up on the railing and heaved a sigh.

I could feel Stronghold watching me, but I stared out at the vast lake that was lined with trees and some other docks as the eye could see.

I heard his feet shift nervously against the porch.

So I looked at him. He jumped slightly, and cast his gaze down fearfully. Then he looked back up at me. In the dimness I could see the fear and nervousness in his eyes. But I could also see the anticipation. The badly hidden eagerness.

Well I'd taken him from his house. I had brought him someplace secluded enough where his cries would be lost echoes absorbed by the lake. He was trying to keep the eagerness out of his expression. What was I gonna do now?

"So uh, you…you ever work…over the summer here?" he asked.

_Good god I could a cigarette right now… _I shook my head, "I just spent half an hour listening to one of my coworkers vent about her stupid little new boyfriend, Stronghold. I think we can just cut the formalities." He flinched when I stood up from the chair and approached him. "I know you're just _dying_ for me to hit you."

I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pushed open the boathouse door, which I threw him through. He stumbled into the room and fell onto the floor well away from where number of boats floated placidly in the water with a grunt. I kicked the door shut behind me and walked toward him.

He pushed himself up slightly, and looked up at me fearfully. His fast breathing and terrified eyes made him look like a victim from some slasher film. But the bulge in the crotch of his jeans gave away how the fear and vulnerability made him feel.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I was trembling. His boots stepped quietly across the wooden floor. He looked angry, and extremely dangerous. He grasped the collar of his leather jacket and pulled it back. He slipped it off of him and it fell to the floor, releasing his strong, muscular arms that were uncovered by his sleeveless black shirt.

I cried out in pain when the toe of his boot caught me _hard_ in the side. I collapsed against the floor, squeezing my eyes shut. Then he kicked me in my other side and I cried out again. I felt his footsteps around me. I opened my eyes and I saw him standing over me. He knelt down, _right on top of me_.

His eyes studied my face as I panted. My sides hurt so much. Then he pressed a hot hand to my shoulder, and bludgeoned my stomach twice, making me cry out. I gasped in a breath, tears brimming my eyes. I felt the hand on my shoulder glide down my chest, and then lay right on the _crotch_ of my jeans. I gasped again, squirming against his touch.

His other hand dragged up my shirt. His occupied hand gathered me into the warmth of his palm, and through my jeans he stroked downward. I gasped again, arching slightly into his touch. He yanked my shirt up over my head, and tossed it aside.

I yelled out when his white hot hand dragged itself harshly down my chest, and then right back up it. I squirmed as his fingers became rigid and clawed fiery trail down my chest, making me scream.

My god, it hurt so much. And it felt even better than my dream.

I opened my eyes and in the glow of the fire, I could see the intrigued look in his dark eyes. His fiery hand gripped my side where he had kicked me and I groaned. I shut my eyes again, letting myself slip into the raging, agonizing inferno that he was dragging across my torso.

But then it was gone with a single, hard, punch to my diaphragm. I jumped beneath him with a pained, suffocated gasp, and my hands went to the assaulted area as I coughed, trying to gather my breath. I felt him unbutton my jeans and drag down the zipper. Then he growled, "Roll over." He gathered my arm in a bruising grip and flipped me over onto my stomach. He gripped the back of my neck in one hand, pressing me hard into the floor. Then I felt his other hand press against my shoulder blade, and then light up with sweltering hot fire.

My eyes widened. The intense pain throbbed hard on the untouched, sensitive skin of my back. I let out an agonized yell, my fingertips clawing the wooden floor. His fire surged across my back, like the burned lash of a fiery whip. I squirmed in his grip, my muscles tensing with hard, knotting convulsions. My abandoned erection pressed painfully against my boxers, which pressed against the floor. "Please, Warren." I whimpered.

His hand slipped from my neck and I felt his hands grip the back of my jeans and boxers and pull them down. I jumped under him. I'd already felt naked and vulnerable, but now I literally was. I'd never been like this with anyone else in my entire life. My body was shaking even harder now, and I was scared. I heard a wrapper rustle and tear. I turned my head and saw him spit out the corner of a condom wrapper. My head exploded in a mass of thoughts that I could only hold onto for one moment before I lost my grip on them.

One of his hands returned to my back, and I yelled out as the white hot pain returned, shoving everything else from my head. My nostrils filled with the smell of fire, and as he settle himself over me, I could feel his hot skin against my back. His fiery hand slipped across my side and grasped the front of my chest.

And then I was introduced to a pain that I had never in my life ever known. My mouth dropped open with a shuddering scream as he thrust himself hard inside of me, awakening an extreme, burning, pain. I clenched my teeth together, and squeezed my eyes shut. In a bruising, fiery grip he held onto my hips, thrusting hard into me, grinding against my untouched insides, making my vision sway as I yelled, and groaned and screamed and moaned.

I didn't know that anything like this pain was possible. It hurt so much. My belly felt full with this crawling, tingling, warm feeling. My body was shaking like an epileptic having a seizure. It was the most amazing thing I had ever felt. And as if that wasn't enough, now every fourth thrust, he ground against something inside of me that made me see dots dance across my eyes, air pass through my skull, and little pleasurable insects scuttle through my entire body.

I could barely breathe. My blood was growing chillier and chillier. My bangs were wet with sweat. My heart was throwing itself against my ribs, obviously trying to escape my chest cavity. My muscles had never tensed so hard ever. I let out one last scream before it all went away.


	11. Handprint

**Helloz everyone! I must say, when I got home, I had 87 emails. Most of them were comment alerts. I laughed in amusement at several of your comments. I was called Lettuce Head, Cabbage Head, an evil genius, Kartoffel Kopt, which means Potatoe Head in german, which I thought was amusing because I love potatoes because potatoes are beastly. I got a lot of comments griping about how I left yall hanging, haha. For that, I am sorry. I just didn't have internet access while I was on vacation which was exquisite.**

**I camped out on an island in the Adirondacks. I sat around a campfire everyday reading or writing, avoiding whichever way the smoke decided to blow haha. I swam, and blew bubbles at the little fishies that decided it was funny to nibble on my toes. I took baths in the lake, and found that I really missed using my loofah...-sniffle- I am so glad to be reunited with my loofah...loofah so much better than a soapy washcloth...**

**I met an amazingly hot guy named Meir who was totally my dream guy, YUM! Totally gave me his Facebook, haha. I kayaked across lily pads, singing as I did. I met Meir while I was kayaking back to my campsite actually. He was in a canoe with his buddies and he went "Wow. I didn't know mermaids could kayak." No joke haha, it was so rambo! **

**I got visits from two raccoons at night frequently. I named one Rocky, and the other one T.J. Oh and I used an outhouse for over a week...let's just say I'm happy to be reunited with my prescious toilet. ****It was funny, when I took my first shower back home and I could smell the woodsmoke in my hair. Haha, I was like "Oh my fucking god! Warren!" Then I picked up my loofah and was like "LOOFAAAH! WHEE!"**

**Wow, this chapter seemed longer in my journal...hmm...oh well, it's almost 4000 words...HAHA! You guys must love me so much! I missed you! ^_^ Please do enjoy the following chapter 11! And please do send me comments about how happy you are that I'm back and little feedbacks about how you feel about Warren's thoughts and Will's little cuteness. Mehehe...**

**Oh by the way, I should mention that my hair is no longer longish emo and green. I had to cut it off because it was pretty much all dead from me dyeing it and straightening it. And I had to dye it back to black cuz my dad was like "I ain't taking you campin' with green hair you lunatic!" And I was like "Damn..." But oh well, it's already growing back out and the green is starting to poke back through the black anyways! XDD So now my hair is like spiky short, and punky emo with little flecks or green. So you might say I'm a Diseased Eggplant Head or something hehe XDD**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

He screamed the loudest when he came. That's what I decided as I laid there in the darkness of my bedroom, dying for a fucking cigarette. I brushed my fingertips across my forehead, clearing away my hair. I thought about how that had excited me the most; his desperate scream as he plunged over the edge, blacking out for a second, only to be reawakened when my fire flared even hotter as I came hardly five seconds behind him.

That whole coming right after the person I was fucking thing…that was a first for me. Then again, that whole thing was a first for me. I've never used my powers in that way before and to such a raging extent that would normally melt anything I touched. But Stronghold could take it.

It had been the most…_explosive _orgasm of my life. And I cocked an eyebrow as I realized that it was also…the _best_ sex I'd ever had.

I remembered bracing a hand on the floor of the boathouse with a long groan. My fire very slowly died as I came down from wherever the hell I had been as my body relaxed; freeing myself from the effects of the craziest ecstasy of my life.

Stronghold was panting with shuddering breath. His small body had been trembling and every few breaths his body would twitch and he gasped. There were dark bruises and burns all over his back and his hips.

Once I'd regained my composure and realized where the hell I was, I gritted my teeth. Then I had _yanked_ myself out of him, making him twitch and yelp. Then I swept the condom off my dick, stood up, yanking my boxers and my jeans up with me. I had done up my pants and buckled my belt. Stronghold hadn't moved, aside from the panting, the shuddering, the trembling and the twitching. He remained where he was, obviously unable to move. That had made me smirk as I pulled on my leather jacket.

I smirked now, thinking about it.

Then I had turned, left him in the boathouse, went back to my motorcycle, buckled on my helmet and left the park.

I chuckled, thinking of his thirty, maybe forty minute walk back to his house. He'd have a long time to think about what had happened and how much he had loved it. I wondered when he'd come trotting back to me for more.

I frowned, reaching down to adjust myself in my sleep pants. _Hell…_

At that, I had to admit to myself that I looked forward to fucking him again. I looked forward to it happening often.

I lowered my eyebrows in the dark. Then I reached up to scratch at my chin with my thumb. I decided that I was actually looking forward to when Stronghold Senior found out that his archenemy's son was fucking his own son's brains out, that I was looking forward to seeing his face.

I chuckled and then rolled over onto my side, closing my eyes. As I slipped toward sleep, in a lucid dream, I could still hear little Stronghold's scream as he climaxed.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Will!"

I tiredly opened my eyes and turned my face out of my pillow. There was a knock on my door and in came my dad. "Hey, you're still in bed?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. He smiled, looking through his glasses at me, "Nice hair."

I blinked sleepily at him.

He clapped his hands together, "You got about seven minutes to shower and get dressed. Your mom's making breakfast downstairs so you'd better get moving." He shook his head with another smile, looking at my hair. Then he left my bedroom, leaving the door open behind him.

I blinked again, and then untangled my arms from around my pillow. I pushed myself up off of my stomach. I was still dressed in what I'd worn yesterday and my shirt was sticking to my chest. I slid from my bed and gingerly set foot on the floor, wincing at the pain.

Oh dear god, the pain… My thoughts swam around what had happened last night. It had to have been, no, it _was_ the best night of my freakin' life. Even if Warren had left me there alone to limp back the forty-seven minutes back home in the dark. It normally took less time, but of course, I was limping and in some extreme pain.

Good god he'd fucked me into paralysis. I don't know how long I had laid there, collapsed with my knees under me and my hands on the floor of either side of my head. Now I knew what the hell everybody was talking about all the time. Sex was really all it was cracked up to be and so much more. I figured that the sex I had had last night was a bit uncommon of course. I mean, how many people normally had a flaming pyro driving into them so hard and appreciated all of the agony?

I paused with slight realization as I limped out of my room. I had had sex for the first time ever last night. I had had sex with _Warren Peace_, who now owned my virginity.

"Will! I don't hear a shower!" My mom called from downstairs.

And yet, the world was moving on like nothing had happened at all.

I went into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I limped in front of the sink and looked at my reflection. My hair was a tragic victim of bedhead, which I didn't understand because I had stayed lying on my stomach the whole night through. And I also had shadows under my eyes.

I licked my lips and reached for the hem of my shirt. I lifted it and peeled it from where it stuck to my chest. I flipped it inside out and turned the hot water on in the sink. I rubbed my thumb over the dried up stains of come, thinking about the moment when I came.

I'm pretty sure I had passed out for a second or two. But I was back quickly when the white hot pain caused by his flaming hands which had further risen in temperature. It had hurt so much, especially when his…uh…well his…when _it_ had gotten even hotter inside of me.

I ran my hand down my face with a groan. An erection was straining against the zipper of my jeans. I put my shirt under the hot water in the sink and scrubbed at the stains, trying to ignore the throbbing ache of my penis. And when the stains were, for the most part, gone, I turned off the water and rung out my shirt in the sink.

Then I dumped it into the hamper. I looked myself in the eyes within the mirror. Then I turned around and looked over my shoulder at the reflection of my back. There were red and blue marks all over my back, ranging widely in darkness and lightness.

Some looked like scrapes and others looked like soft burns with no blistering and bruises. I reached over my shoulder and touched one. The flesh was still a bit tender and was still healing. I imagined that it had most likely looked _a lot_ worse when I'd finally gotten home last night. I imagined those fiery hands dragging themselves across my bare skin. I tried to remember the white hot, amazing pain.

I reached down and unbuttoned my jeans and pulled down the zipper. I pushed my jeans and my boxers down to my ankles, freeing my growing and hardening erection. I resisted touching it until I was safely under the warm spray of the showerhead. Then I wrapped my hand around it and stroked firmly up and down. I braced my free hand against the wall of the shower, letting the water fall down the back of my neck as I hung my head. I closed my eyes, imagining the grip of his big, strong, fiery hands. I imagined the quiet grunts he'd let out as I had screamed. I imagined his scent.

I let out a shuddering breath and breathed, "Please, Warren." I pressed my back to the shower wall, making it light up with stinging, burning, harsh pain. I bit down on my lip to stifle my cry when I got myself to come, aided by the mental images and the hurt.

I pressed my head to the shower wall as I panted, watching the paleness of semen circle the drain. I forced myself to stand up straight and gingerly went to work on using the shower for its proper purpose, bathing. After I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, I soaped up a washcloth and washed my arms. Then my arm_pits_. The my chest. Then my stomach. Then my _ow_…hip?

I lifted the washcloth from my right hip and turned slightly to look down at it. I swallowed. There was a perfect, hand-shaped purple and blue bruise gripping my right hip. I looked at my other hip, and there was a bruise there too. But it wasn't a perfect handprint or as dark as the other one.

I looked back down at my right hip and tried to fit my hand to the handprint. The palm was bigger and the fingers were longer…And _ow_, that hurt. I looked down at myself and groaned. I was developing a hard on…_again_.

_It's gonna be a long day…_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I'd smirked to myself when I'd seen him down the hallway. The small boy was _limping_. I was impressed with my handiwork. I had wondered what else was left of my handiwork from last night. I wondered how much his back had healed up. From where I'd been walking while he limped to his locker, he looked weary, and I'd wondered how much sleep he had gotten.

The only period I shared with him was lunch today. Only once a week we had PE together for half of the school to play Save The Citizen, but that day wasn't today. So I wouldn't be able to see if he winced when he sat down if his body was working to heal itself already.

_Damn shame… _I thought as I came out of the showers. I found the locker room deserted, just as I preferred it. Well except for that guy who had just picked up his bag, noticed me and then scampered out of the locker room like he'd just seen a spook. I went to my locker and unlocked it. I pulled on my boxers, jeans, socks and I was just yanking on my boots when I heard the locker room door open.

I paused a second to listen closely. _Who the hell is comin' in now? Forget something, Scamper?_ I went back to yanking on the other boot. I could hear timid, uneven footsteps on the tile floor. I tugged my pant legs over my boots just as little Stronghold came around the corner. I lifted my hands onto my knees and pushed myself up to stand. His eyes followed me as I did, nervously glancing away from my eyes. I cocked an eyebrow at him. He quietly lifted his eyes from the floor, his hands shaking and wringing themselves out. His gaze traveled across my bare chest, and took in the sight of it.

I shook my head, "Enjoying the view, Stronghold?"

He gulped and looked to the floor again, "I…I just…"

I pulled my black thermal from my locker and slipped it over my head. "You just what, Stronghold?" I asked gruffly, pulling the hem of my thermal down to my waist. It clung well to my body, and I knew Stronghold had noticed.

"I…" He said, "I figured you'd be here…this period since that one…time…that one time you were…uh…I wanted to…um…" He bit his lip, avoiding my critical gaze.

I cocked one eyebrow at him. Then I reached into my locker, pulled out my leather jacket, and closed it. I buckled on my wristband and dragged on my gloves.

"I wanted to ask you…if you…wanted…to hang out…a-again…" He managed to say.

I paused and raised an eyebrow. _That was quicker than I thought. He's not even sore at me for leaving him at the boathouse._ Then I smirked with a low chuckle, "Oh did you?"

"Y-yes…" He murmured, looking down at the floor. "Will you…please…hang out with…with me after…after you get off work…t-tonight? Please?" He risked a look to my gaze and I saw his eyes flooded with nervousness and a desperate craving.

Oh good god, I had him begging. This was so much easier than I had ever imagined.

I dulled my eyes at him, "Don't got work tonight. I got an appointment."

The hope and excitement in him had appeared in in his blue eyes at the sound of my first statement. And then quickly disappeared from them and was replaced with disappointment and sadness at my second statement.

"But I guess I might stop by after it." I said. Honestly, I'd much rather be invading the Stronghold home, and invading Stronghold Senior's son in a devious, sinful way than be lying on a table, getting my back stuck with needles for a fucking hour. But I'd like to quit smoking, and plus Shu had assigned Lan to attend my appointment to make sure that I attended as well.

_Fucking woman thinks she's my mother…_

Stronghold stopped wringing his hands and looked at my hopefully.

I glanced at his t-shirt. _Yeah, I have time._

So I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back into the wall. He winced and cried out when he hit it hard.

_Yep, there's still some damage left._

I went forward, grabbed his arm and flipped him around. I pressed him hard into the wall by the back of his neck. He whimpered, and it made me smirk. I grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it up to the back of his neck. Sure, it was healing up quickly but the proof was still there, painted colorfully all over his back. Then I noticed a mark on his right side, just inside the waistband of his jeans. So I shoved them down his hip partially.

I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head in wonder. I fitted my hand to the blue and green handprint bruise. I looked back to Stronghold's profile when he groaned, leaning into my touch.

I chuckled lowly, my hand bursting into flame. He yelled in response, writhing against my grip. I pressed him harder into the wall, surging more heat to my right hand. He gasped, ground out a short moan and let out a scream as my hand got hotter and hotter. Then I took it all away so suddenly that he sunk to the floor with a gasp. I left him there on the floor, pulling my leather jacket on as I left.

* * *

"Zhè shì nǐ de nán péngyǒu, lán? Tā xūyào lǐfà. Zhè shì wèishéme xūnǐ xī yān? Wèishéme nǐ huì rìqí xī yān zhě? Dāngrán, tā de hǎokàn, dàn gěi wǒ xiūxí, lán, tā wén qǐlái xiàng yān... ... Hé zhǐjiǎ yóu qù chú jì. Huòzhě shì nǐ ma?" _This your boyfriend, Lan? He needs a haircut. Why is this dummy smoking? Why would you date a smoker? Sure, he's good looking, but give me a break, Lan, he _smells_ like smoke...and nail polish remover. Or is that you?_

I glanced over my shoulder at Lan's Aunt Yun Ting. I winced as she screwed a needle into my shoulder. "Nǐ hái yǒu shé me yào duì wǒ shuō, nǚrén ne?" _What else do you have to say about me woman?_

She jumped, sticking me with a needle _hard_. I bit the inside of my lip. _Ow…_

"Lan, you didn't tell me he knew our language. Thanks a lot…bitch." Yun Ting said, shaking her head, and reached up to adjust her glasses.

Lan laughed from where she sat in the corner of the room, looking through a magazine. "He's not my boyfriend. Just a good friend who _does_ need a haircut. He's just trying to quit smoking. And I think the nail polish remover _is_ me. I took the paint off of my nails before I came over here."

I closed my eyes, hoping the conversation wouldn't teeter towards a fucking haircut. It was an age-old argument, I had twenty-nine needles sticking out of my nerves, I could currently be having a delightfully violent fuck, and I was literally _dying_ for a cigarette. I was _not_ in the fucking mood.

"Well, at least you're trying to quit smoking, Warren. How long did you say you've been smoking?" Yun Ting asked, sticking me with another needle.

"Long time." I muttered.

"Well, Lan tells me that you're a heavy smoker. We'll have to schedule an appointment once or twice a week for the next few weeks. It depends on how it helps your nicotine craving. All patients are different." Yun Ting said, sticking me with another needle, this time in the back of my thigh.

I sighed, "Wonderful."

Yun Ting laughed, "You're a lot tougher than most of my patients, I'll give you that. The man Dr. Chang has in the next room was yelling like a big baby."

Lan snorted, "I know. We heard him from the waiting room."

Yun Ting chuckled, "Hope that didn't discourage you, Warren."

I rolled my eyes, "There are several things I'd rather be doing with my afternoon."_ Screw Stronghold so hard that he can't walk for twelve days…_ Lan shook her head, flipping the page of her magazine, "Oh shut up. Watch, next appointment, she's gonna have you lying on your back and stick you with needles in your ear points."

I cocked an eyebrow over at her, "Ear points?"

She counted them off on her fingers, "Shenmen, kidney, sympathetic, upper lung and lower lung, then hunger _and or_ mouth." She smirked looking proud of herself. I dulled my eyes at her, "That makes no sense."

Yun Ting stuck me in my thigh again, "Wow, Lan. I'm impressed."

Lan shook her head, "Don't be. I have no idea what I'm talking about. I just looked it up on my phone." She held up her cell phone that she'd been hiding behind the magazine. Then she smiled and laughed. I merely shook my head at her and settled my chin on my arms.

After Yun Ting had finished sticking me with needles all over my back and the backs of my legs, she left the room to attend to other patients. Lan filled the void by talking my ears off to a point where I kept looking longingly where my jeans were folded. In the front right pocket was my iPod, and I've never wanted to escape the world so badly.

"I swear to god, Richard was so sweet today. He walked me to my classes, and he helped me carry the gym equipment to the fields. At lunch he sat next to me with _my_ friends, and didn't even get up to go talk to his friends like Dominic always did. Dominic was such an ass," Lan blathered on and on.

I rolled my eyes backward before closing them, "Dear god I could use a cigarette right now…" Lan didn't even hear me she was talking so much.

Yun Ting came back in at one point where Lan was telling me that Richard Stevens, the most wonderful guy in the world asked her to go to the lake tomorrow afternoon with him for dinner and a date. I started when she opened the door, and looked at her, "For fuck's sake, please tell me that we are fucking _done_ here."

Yun Ting smiled, with a shake of her head, "Sorry, Warren. You got another half hour." She started putting cotton balls on the needles in my legs and some that were on my back. "How are you feeling?"

I looked directly at Lan, "Suicidal."

Lan's mouth dropped open. Then she shook her head and laughed, "I don't have to be here for you, you know." "Please don't be." I retorted.

Lan said with a smirk, "I have yet to tell you about,"

"Give me my iPod please." I interrupted, looking over my shoulder at Yun Ting, reaching a hand toward my jeans. Yun Ting finished lighting the cotton balls on fire with a laugh. With sympathy she went to the counter where my jeans sat.

"It's in the right front pocket." I said. Yun Ting retrieved my iPod from the pocket and gave it to me. And I took it from her eagerly. I slipped in the earphones and flicked on the music. Lan had her eyes narrowed at me. Then she shrugged with a laugh and fished her own iPod out of her purse. Once she did, she flipped me the middle finger.

"Yeah, fuck you too." I said, unable to hear my own voice. _Take me away Lost Prophets from this yapping trollop…_


	12. Reflection

**Let's see, yesterday I was up at like 2 in the morning, laughing and arguing with my cousin about cereal. I love my Frosted Mini Wheats. She loves her Apple Jacks. Apparently my Wheaties are actually fucked up Wheat Thins. XDD In the Wheat Thin factory, apparently when there's a defective Wheat Thin, it's sold to the Wheaties company. XDD And apparently they're gonna stop making Wheaties because Wheat Thins will finally learn how to not fuck up and Wheaties will die out except for the Wheaties that Wheatie junkies like me hoard in our kitchen cupboards. Then when the apocalypse comes, all the people who ate Apple Jacks are gonna be eating Apple Jacks with Jesus and all the Wheaties eaters are gonna be down here eating their Wheaties with Satan blowing fire up their asses. Hehehe...she REALLY doesn't like my Wheaties...**

**But she also thinks that it's dumb that Apple Jacks are called that, because CinnaMon always wins. So she thinks that they should be called Cinnamin Jacks. To which I pointed out, sounds like some pirate name. I also think it's odd that a talking cinnamin stick with a fucking Jamaican accent gets this weirdass Apple Jacks bat signal thing that sends him running to dive into a fucking bowl of orange and green fruitloops with little brown specs all over them. XDD And to top that off, this talking spice also seems to have a rival! A fat, red apple that wears Chucks and tries to beat the cinnamin stick to the bowl of random Apple Jacks each time! **

**So excuse me. At least my Wheaties are sofisticated, and bent on randomly helping children by 'keeping them full' and sitting on their shoulders, barking good advice at them all day long! My Wheaties also have a fucking DOG! Beat that freakin Bad Apple and CinnaMon! Although I have no doubt that those two could beat my Wheatie Boys in a fight XDDD They're just too nice to win a fight.**

**Enough about cereal my friends. I gladly hand you another chapter of Oxygen that contains lovely, hot, and violent sex!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I brushed my hair back with a sigh. The stereo on the stand was playing some good alternative that I hadn't heard before. But at this point it was simply background noise. I flipped through the pages of my Super History textbook. How exactly was I supposed to understand what made _The Reflection's_ death so poetic and tragic? _Wasn't the guy a notorious, _murderous_ super villain back in the 1920's? I wonder…if Warren's coming…What's so poetic about this guy's de…oh…_

I bit my lip and drew my notebook closer to me and started scribbling down the answer to number 7c. As I did I shook my head, _That's why…_

"Hey, Will!"

I glanced up from where I was sitting on the couch. I heard Layla close the door behind her and come walking through the house. She came into the living room, spotted me on the couch and smiled. She was still dressed in the long grass colored skirt and the flowered t-shirt that she'd worn at school today. But her hair that had been down had been pulled up into a messy, but good-looking bun.

"Hey, Layla." I said, and looked back down at my notebook where I kept writing.

She came over and sat next to me on the couch. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked, looking at all of my textbooks and homework. She whistled, "Wow."

I nodded, "I know." Then I paused and looked at her, "Did you know that _The Reflection_ was killed by his own twin brother?"

Layla raised her eyebrows, "_The Reflection _had a twin brother?" I nodded, "Yeah, a super hero. He was called, uh," I looked at my Super History textbook, "_Gossamer_. He had the power of invisibility and he had superhuman reflexes. It says here that in a battle with _The_ _Reflection_, _Gossamer _cast no reflection for his brother to manipulate. To distract him, he became visible, and when _The Reflection_ was crossing to another mirror, _Gossamer_ grabbed him in his lucent state right by the heart and ripped it right out of his chest."

Layla grimaced, "Gross. This is what you're learning about in your Hero classes?"

I shrugged, "Mrs. Elaqua is a real history buff, but she's also kinda psycho so…you know…"

Layla shrugged and nodded her head, "Yeah…But hey, me and Magenta are going to the mall to meet Ethan and Zack at that new laser tag course. You wanna come along?"

We jumped at the sound of a car horn. Layla and I looked at each other.

"Layla! The next bus into the city is coming in five minutes so get your ass out here!"

Layla smiled, "So do you? Gotta decide quick or Magenta might devour us." I smiled lightly. And shook my head, "Nah."

"Why not?"

_Because Warren Peace may very possibly be coming over to shove me to the floor, hit me several times, and nearly burn me alive while screwing me right to the point where I can't move a single inch of a muscle. _"Just all this homework. I'll go with you guys some other time." I said gently, shifting my textbook so it covered an erection that had decided to spring to life at the mere thought of the dominant, sadistic pyro's name.

Layla frowned, "Are you sure? I don't wanna leave you alone here doing homework while me and the guys are at the mall. It doesn't seem fair."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Since when do you encourage me to ditch on my homework?"

Layla smirked and cocked an eyebrow back, "Since we all haven't been able to hang out much since you were placed in Hero class."

"LAYLA!" Magenta's voice roared. We jumped when the door was thrown open and in came Magenta, stomping with her boots. Magenta was all narrowed eyes for Layla. "What is taking so long? I really prefer not to wait for the next bus. Is he coming with us or not?"

Layla shook her head, "No. He's got a lot of homework to do."

Then Magenta fixated her eyes on me. And there was that cold feeling in the pit of my stomach under her dark eyed gaze. Her Asian complexion and slightly slanted eyes made her seem like a hypnotic snake. Except she wasn't hypnotizing, nor hypnotized. She seemed intrigued. Good god, I thought I could feel her pillaging around in my mind, seeing what had happened the previous night with Warren, seeing all of the feelings I had had, the thoughts. When the corner of her lip twitched, I was absolutely sure that she knew.

But then she lifted her penetrating gaze from me and looked back at Layla, "Well let's stop feeling pity for him and go. C'mon, we can bring him back an empty candy wrapper or something." She turned, dragging Layla by the wrist. "See ya tomorrow Will!" They closed the door behind them.

And then I swallowed the apple sized lump in my throat and brushed the cold sweat from my forehead. I was going to have to get the guts to politely and privately ask Magenta to stop penetrating me…_No that sounds wrong_. _Probing me? No, no, probing my _brain_. There. That's it._

* * *

I heaved a sigh and rubbed at my eyes, bringing my bare feet up to rest on the coffee table. I glanced at my watch. It had taken about two hours total for me to finish my homework. Most of that time had been spent with my mind wandering away to wonderment and curiosity, resulting in a whining pulse of blood behind the zipper of my jeans. I'd done my best to ignore it with the boring facts of Sky High hero class homework. It hadn't worked very much of course…

Over the music playing from the radio, I heard the door close hard and then I heard heavy footsteps coming in. _Aw man…_ I pressed my lips together and muttered, "Shit." Then I pushed myself to my feet and started out of the living room, "Hey, Dad. I thought you were working late tonight with Mom to meet that quota for that Hawaii trip thingy you guys want so b…"

I froze where I was, my mouth drying up and my heart pausing a moment. I wasn't looking up at my dad, but up at the long haired pyro that's been plaguing my thoughts for weeks; and especially this afternoon. He stared dully down at me, his eyes almost shut because he was so much taller than me. His leather jacket was zipped up to his collarbone and the hole in the right knee of his jeans was frayed. His long hair was ever so slightly mussed and he looked irritated.

I felt a shiver prickle across my ribs. I swallowed to wet my throat, looking up at him. My hands were trembling. And just the superior gaze staring down at me, just the thought of how much power he had over me just made blood glide smoothly into my already interested penis.

Then he moved. Only slightly. His head tilted slightly to one side. It was a sharp movement, like an intrigued predator. And good god, I was the prey.

I wet my lips and tried my best to speak clearly, "H-hi. I didn't,"

My voice stopped in my throat when his big, strong hand shot up and grabbed me by it. I gagged and he slammed me hard up against the wall. His fingers squeezed my throat hard and I gasped. His head tilted down at me, and his eyes were so hooded and dark looking down at me. I pulled in a breath with a small cry. I jumped when the fingers of his opposite hand slipped under the hem of my shirt and snaked up my chest. I shivered against his touch, still gasping for a full breath. Then his palm pressed a muted, searing hot flame to my breastbone.

With the breath I'd managed to gather in my lungs, I yelled out, squeezing my eyes shut. I squirmed, unable to escape even though I could, but forgot that I could. But I would never try and I knew it. He most likely knew it too.

In my ear I heard him growl, "Where's your room?" His fingertips dragged what felt like fiery hot claws down my chest and I yelled out again. Panting and hardly able to breathe, I gasped, "Up…hrn! Up…st-stairs…"

Then it was all gone and I was flying across the foyer. I landed hard on the steps. I coughed, and gasped, reaching to my abused throat. I waited for the blunt pain of the toe of his boot driving itself into my vulnerable sides. But no blow came. Instead I felt his hand seize a fistful of my hair. I cried out, my hands going to my head as he dragged me up the stairs.

I brought my legs under me, almost crawling as he dragged me upward. At the top he threw me against the opposite wall and I hit it with a grunt. My scalp tingled with pain. Before I could manage to look up at him, he grabbed me by the shoulders, lifted me up and shoved his knee into my stomach. Then he let me fall down again, wheezing and coughing for breath.

I looked up at him, tears brimming my eyes and panting heavily. His eyes were almost closed as he glared down at me. He drove a hard kick right into my side and I yelled out, groaning and panting at the pain.

I didn't realize that I was writhing so much until he lifted his boot and pressed it against the side of my neck, pressing me into floor. Each exhale brought out desperate, frightened whimpers from me. My hands blindly grasped at the floor, trembling. He reached to the zipper of his leather jacket and pulled it down. He wasn't even wearing a shirt underneath.

I brushed my tongue across my lower lip that had become dry in all of my hard breathing. I wasn't sure if it was because I was scared, or because I was…_hungry_.

He lifted his boot from my neck and reached down. My hands went to my head and I let out a grunt when he grabbed a fistful of my hair again. He dragged me up so I was sort of crouching. His firm grip jerked me down the hall, constantly making me go to my knees, bringing out my pained cries. "Ah! W…Warren, please!" I wasn't exactly sure what I was begging him to do. It didn't make much of a difference to him though. Even though he threw me onto the neatly spread blankets of my bed, I felt like it was of his own influence and had nothing to do my cries. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his leather jacket hit the floor and heard him kick my bedroom door shut.

I felt him grab the back of shirt and he yanked it off of me. His blazing hot palms pressed hard into my shoulder blades. My hands grasped at the sheets and I let out a scream. I ground my forehead into the blue fabric, screaming, as his hands lit up with fire and dragged themselves up and down my back. I bit down on my lip, but couldn't stifle another scream.

One of his hands slipped under me, and I gasped. His fingers undid the button and yanked down the zipper. His fingertips felt like he was dragging white hot razor blades down my spine, opening my skin and sending the heat deep within. I screamed so loudly, _Warren, it hurts so much!_

I felt his hands yank down my boxers and shorts. He grabbed my thighs and forced them under me, making me grunt and cry out. He pressed his burning hand to the back of my neck, pushing me hard into the mattress. I heard his belt buckle clink and the sound of the zipper of his jeans. I fisted the sheets, whimpering in anticipation, especially when I heard the condom wrapper tear. The flames dragged themselves down my back, making me squirm and scream.

Then I felt him shove himself inside of me, seizing my hips in his fiery grip. And I was reintroduced to that mighty pain. My head jerked back, and my mouth dropped open with a long scream. The pain hadn't changed at all. It was like the first time all over again. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the tremendous pain of his strong thrusts so deeply inside me.

With every heavy thrust, he filled me up almost entirely. I swore I could almost feel him in my stomach. I felt like his erection was almost hotter than his fiery hands. God, it hurt. It was so amazing. I could hardly breathe and with every gulp of air I managed, it came back out as a moan through clenched teeth or a crying scream. My penis was so hard and aching, but I couldn't get my hands to let go of the sheets to relieve the building tension.

My screams were at one point separated by gasps. And those points were when Warren angled his thrust perfectly to slam into that spot inside of me that caused the familiar dark patches to dance across my eyes and the dizziness to spin inside of my skull. And it was happening more and more and I was screaming and moaning louder and louder.

Every muscle inside of me was tensing up. The chords in my neck were flexing so hard that I could feel them burn as my head turned back and forth against the mattress as he thrust harder and faster. I was writhing underneath him, but his strong, flaming hands kept my hips right where he wanted them. My toes curled harshly and my abs tightened. My hand shot back and grasped his right thigh.

I felt his hard thigh muscles clench and twitch away from my touch. I heard him growl. Then his right hand swiftly seized my wrist, moved it from his thigh, and then seized my other wrist. Suddenly my wrists were manacled in his big hands above my head and pressed hard into the mattress. His bare chest was pressed over my assaulted back, and his thrusts were coming impossibly faster and harder.

I screamed so loudly that the entire neighborhood could probably hear me. His chest lit up in a raging inferno against my back, and I intensely came, making darkness take over my gaze. His erection became searing hot inside of me and I felt the muscles in his chest and stomach clench as he huskily grunted. And he collapsed, right on top of my trembling, paralyzed body.

I could smell his wondrous scent of spicy fire and leather. I coud feel his hot breath against my neck. I could feel his hair splayed against my skin. I could feel his warm skin against mine. I could feel his warm hands so close to mine. I could feel the warmth of him still inside of me.

But too quickly, he lifted himself silently off of me, and yanked himself from my insides, making me jump and cry out. I heard him do up his jeans and buckle his belt. I heard him stride across my room and the ruffle of his leather jacket as he pulled it on and zipped it up. I heard his boots go down the stairs and the door slam behind him. Through my open window I heard a motorcycle roar to life and then gunned away until I couldn't hear it anymore.

Lying there collapsed on my bed, my breathing was shuddering and my body was quivering. I couldn't move. I felt like I could fall asleep, but then again I felt like I was wide awake and couldn't fall asleep even if I tried.

I have no clue how long it was before I managed to make myself lie on my side. I moved my pillows to look at my clock. The numbers said that it was almost six o'clock. Late to my parents could usually range anytime from 6:30pm to 11pm.

_I gotta get up…clean up…_I looked down at myself, _Cover up…_

There was a red handprint in the middle of my chest, right on my breastbone. Through and around it, there were red tendrils that were left behind by his dragging fingertips. I could only imagine what my back looked like. Either way, I was in pain. A lot of pain. At the moment I really wasn't sure if I wanted to get up. But I had to. I couldn't just let my parents come home and waltz into my room and find me like this.

With a mostly still hand, I pushed myself up to my hands and knees. _Ow…_

I backed myself up and placed my feet on the floor one at a time, holding the waistband of my boxers and shorts in a hand. I bit my lip and gingerly reached down to pick up my shirt._ Ow…_

Then I limped from my room, making sure I was covered in the front and back. When I got into the bathroom, I closed the door. I put my shirt on the counter and let my shorts and boxers drop to the floor. I stepped out of them and turned to the shower. I turned the water on so it was comfortably warm on my hand. I licked my lips and looked over my shoulder at my reflection.

My skin was dark red, dark blue, purple, black. Bruised, scraped and burned. There were five dark red trails from his fingertips. I remembered how it had felt like paper-thin razors slicing open my skin and penetrating deeply with heat. I looked down at my hips. My left hip was a mass of dark fiery bruises and burns. My right hip was the same, except it was the same perfect handprint. I gently placed my own against it. It didn't fit to his big handprint and it hurt.

I brushed my hand through my hair and swallowed. Then I stepped into the shower. I jumped and bit my lip when the spray touched my back. I silently washed my hair and carefully washed my skin. I thought about the pain he had given to me. The second time was even more amazing than the first time and I didn't think that was possible. But it was.

I thought about how he'd laid on top of me. Well, technically he'd _collapsed_ on top of me… I figured that he wouldn't have willingly. I thought about how much I'd liked…_loved_ the feel of him. How badly I'd wanted to touch his hair. How badly I'd wanted to feel his breath on my lips, and perhaps his own lips against mine.

I still didn't exactly understand the deeper part of this situation. _If there is a deeper part…_

I was pretty sure that he most likely still hated my guts, hated my dad. This was probably just a meaningless fuck for him. He was a sadist and I was the masochist who enjoyed the pain as much as he did, if not more. He was satisfying a need, probably not thinking about my own. But then again he did acknowledge them.

_"Me knocking you from room to room is probably what you had in your masochistic little mind." _

"_I know you're just _dying_ for me to hit you."_

I turned the shower off and brushed the water from my hair with my fingers. I dried my hair and very cautiously patted my body dry. I tossed the towel into the hamper and stepped into my boxers and shorts. I pulled them up gingerly, did up the button and closed the zipper. Then, while biting my lip, I warily drew my shirt over my head and lowered the hem down to my waist.

I could easily keep my back away from the back of my chair at the dinner table. But I dreaded sitting down. For most of the day in school I had spent it squirming in my chair, usually bringing a foot under me and leaning forward so I would be putting less pressure on my backside.

So I sort of hoped that when my parents said late, they meant late late, as in 11pm. Then I wouldn't have to sit at the dinner table and have a family dinner where Mom and Dad would most likely notice my fidgeting. I just wanted to heat up something in the microwave for myself, eat it standing up in the kitchen, or maybe stretch out on my stomach upon the living room floor and watch TV while I ate. I don't know. Something safe. The less pain I was in, the less likely I was to gather another erection.

And at the moment I felt as if another erection would probably kill me after having such an eruptive orgasm. But then again, I'd been noticing lately that my…_endurance_…was heightening. I sighed and combed my hair with my fingers.

"Will!"

"Will! We're home!"

I closed my eyes, "Damn it…"

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I brushed the side of my leather jacket from my side, and leaned down slightly to line up the shot. Then I sunk the 8 right into the far left pocket, finishing the game. My opponent, who'd been leaning on his cue, threw his head back to the ceiling and groaned. I stood back up straight and leaned my pool cue against the pool table.

The guy heaved a long sigh and itched at his goatee. Then he reached into his pocket and drew out his wallet, "You play a good game there, Slick. Guess you get to keep the cash…and your shirt."

The whole game had been started with the guy's simple interest in my black phoenix t-shirt. The sensitivity in my back had reduced so I'd managed to be comfortable in my t-shirt while right after the fucking acupuncture appointment, I had preferred the gentle coolness of my leather jacket. Just thinking of the sensitivity made me think of how Stronghold had grabbed my thigh, his fingers pressing hard into the exact areas where Yun Ting had stuck me. It had sent a jolt right through my nerves.

He picked a hundred dollar bill from the fold of his wallet and then counted out five twenties. He made it obvious as he did it. He was clearly a regular gambler and knew to make the amount of cash he paid very obvious to avoid getting beat up or worse for jipping anyone he lost to. He stacked them and handed them over to me. I palmed them and counted them out in my hand anyways. I'd seen him count it out but I'd seen several tricks in the trade. Without looking closer one or two of the bills might have 'accidently' stuck to his fingers.

Then I reached up and ran a fingertip under my eye, looking around the place. Smoke was hanging in the air. There were all kinds of weeknight delinquents around. Guys who thought they looked tough. Guys who knew they were tough. Chicks that were cruising for prize cash. Chicks that were distinctly cruising for a lay. A couple of bartenders who were not just dealing drinks.

_For fuck's sake…_ I ran a hand down the side of my face. I looked at the guy I'd beaten. He was taking out a pack of cigarettes. He slipped one in between his lips. "Mind if I bum one of you? I'll let you keep a bill or two."

The guy looked up and smiled, "Nah. You can buy me a drink though." He handed me a cigarette and I handed him a twenty back. "Buy your own damn drink." I growled and I walked toward the back of _The Gray Cue_. Some blonde chick wearing a tight leather corset top and a small black skirt ran her hand down my arm, "Hey there, honey, you lookin' for,"

"No." I hissed and I kept going till I was right out the back door and into the night of the alleyway. The door closed behind me, taking away the light that the inside of the bar had shed into the alley. It also muffled the noise, bringing the sound of the alleyway to my ears just as I had snapped my fingers and was bringing the flame close to light up my cigarette.

"Get off me!"

"C'mon Baby!"

"Where you think you're goin', hah?"

"Somebody help me!"

I lifted my unlit cig from my lips and looked up the alley. Just what it sounded like. Two guys in hoods jerking around some good-looking girl near the back of a dark alleyway. I looked longingly at the cigarette.

"_Somebody help me!_"

I grumbled, flicked the cig and reached in my back pocket. I yanked out my bandana and unfolded it as I strode up the alley. I folded it in half the triangle way and draped it over my face. I was coming up on them as I was tying it under my hair behind my head.

The two thugs noticed me just as I'd doubled the knot. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Get the fuck outta here, we ain't sharin'!"

I flinted my arms with a growl, and they lit up in furious flame that lit up the alley. The thugs, and the girl all jumped and cried out in shock. The girl was shoved back and the guy on the left flicked out a switchblade, "G-g-g-get the fuck away! I'll cut you, I swear!"

I strode forward, reaching out and melting the blade without even touching it. I lifted my fists, and landed six in his torso and then I gave him a good punch in the jaw, sending him right into a dumpster where he stayed. The other son of a bitch came up behind me and tried to stab me in the side. He succeeded only about an inch and a half deep before my reflexes snapped and I grabbed his wrist and swung him across the alleyway. I threw a palm of fire at him, and his hoodie lit up in flames. He started flailing and screaming.

When he forced his hoodie over his head, I hurried forth and landed a good sweep kick right to his left ribs. He pulled in a gasp and couched, making him and his hoodie fall to the ground. So I leaned down, picked him up as he screamed and wiggled, and threw him into the dumpster to join his friend.

It wasn't too much of an exertion, and I was only panting slightly. I pressed a hand to my side where I could feel hot, sticky blood. I looked to the girl who was sitting on the ground with her back pressed against the bricks. She stared with wide, admiring eyes at me.

I heard her breathe, "Thank you so much."

I turned away and growled as I started back down the alley, "You made me lose my cigarette."

"Wait! Wait!" I heard her stand up, and her high heels click as she followed after me. "I owe you my life! You can have mine! Hell, you can have the whole pack!"

"No, thanks, lady. Tryin' to quit." I ground out through my teeth behind my bandana. At this point I had to get out of there. At this point I probably wouldn't be able to go back to _The Gray Cue_ for a _long_ time.

"There's gotta be somethin' I can do for you! My god…I've never seen a super up so close. Never been saved by one before either. What's your name?"

I rolled my eyes upward as I exited the valley. I went over to my Harley that was parked amongst a bunch of other good looking bikes. While I'd been inside, somebody had parked their Chopper next to my Harley. I rolled my eyes at the overcompensating ride. I never was much one for Choppers. I picked up my helmet and mounted my Harley.

"Wait." The woman said, grasping the sleeve of my leather jacket.

I looked up into her light green eyes. _Hmm…I prefer blue…_

She smiled with a disbelieving laugh and let go of my sleeve, "You saved my life. I dunno what I'm supposed to do, but I have to do something. I saw Spiderman, should I kiss you or something?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm currently fucking somebody." Then I slipped on my helmet. _Stronghold's useful for something…_

"Please. There's gotta be something I can do." She insisted.

I groaned as I buckled the strap under my chin. "Alright, alright, alright, fine! If I take your cigs, will you please forget about it and call it even?"

She paused and nodded wildly, "Yes! It's something at least!" She dug into her purse and brought out a pack of cigarettes. At the small look I'd had, she had at least six packs amongst the contents of her purse. She smiled, "Not even opened yet? You like the brand? They okay?"

I took the pack and tucked it into my jacket pocket, "They're fine. Now leave me alone, _please_." I brought my bike to life and walked it backwards. Then I gunned it out of the parking lot. I saw her waving behind me and calling, "Thanks again!"

_That's what I got to look forward to? _I reached down and touched the wound in my side. _Could be worse I guess…_


	13. Oxygen

**Hiya guys! I went to a party the other night and got to bounce my friend's baby on my knee. She was SO cute. Her name was Hayden. And she is a very happy, placid baby girl, who rarely cries, has two little teeth side by side right in the middle of her lower gums (which fucking hurt when she nibbles on your finger). I swear, the only time she cried was when the fireworks went off and she was like 'AH HOLY SHIT, THE BLITZ!' **

**It's about 4:14am. I haven't eaten anything since 4pm yesterday. I'm tired. I'm hungry. But I love this chapter more. Sure, there's not really any sex in it (don't get me wrong, I wish there was), but I really like this chapter. And wow, look at that, over 5,800 words. ^w^ Please do enjoy the read, a dill pickle, or maybe even a peanut butter cookie! Yeah...hungry.**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I flicked the lock closed on the door after I closed it behind me. I kept my bandana pressed to the wound in my side as I started toward the stairs.

"Warren?"

I looked at me mom as she came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea. She was wearing a pair of her raggedy boxers with an old t-shirt that I'd handed down to her when it didn't fit me anymore. Her dark brown hair was damp and pulled into two braids. She looked every bit of the Native American she was except for her concerned tawny eyes that I frequently thought belonged in the skull of an owl.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

I gave her a brief nod before stepping up the first few steps on the stairs, still pressing my wadded up bandana to my side. I wasn't sure if the bleeding had stopped yet, and I wanted to get to the bathroom to take care of it.

"Warren…Warren, it's almost midnight." She said. I could hear her trailing up the stairs after me. I answered quietly, pushing open the bathroom door and flipping on the light, "I know, Mom."

I set my bandana down in the sink and turned the hot water faucet on. Then I proceeded to remove my leather jacket. Mom stood in the doorway, cradling her tea. "Are you mad at me for not being able to make dinner the other night?"

I set my jacket down on the counter and reached to the fabric of my shirt at the back of my neck, "No, Mom. I'm not mad at you." I yanked my shirt over my head and dropped on top of my jacket.

"Aren't we friends anymore?" she asked.

I turned slightly, getting a look at the stab wound. I saw Mom's eyebrows go up from the corner of my eye. "I guess so." I said, getting my hot, wet bandana. I wrung it out slightly, hardly noticing when Mom left the doorway. I gingerly wiped away the blood from the tender wound. When I'd grabbed the guys wrist, he'd made the stab wound a bit wider, into a bit of a gash. That was probably why I'd been bleeding down the side of my jeans.

"I've got the first aid kit." Mom said, coming in and setting the red box on the toilet lid. She flipped open the top and rummaged around in it. "Warren, what happened? You didn't get in a fight did you? Are you okay?"

To anyone else, she probably sounded a bit too calm and quiet. But Mom could feel who people were through their feelings. She usually had a habit of being mostly stoic, with a glimmer of concern and wariness in her eyes. She was very much control of her emotions. Plus she's been dealing with me since the day I was born. She knew the extent of my threshold for pain, and could read me easier than a telepath who could simply open another's mind to scour what was within. Even just reading my feelings coursing through me, I knew that she could put together what had happened herself. She was no mind reader but she was damn well close enough.

"I'm fine, Mom." I said, tossing my bandana back into the sink. Then I gripped the counter and closed my eyes. I listened to the fire smoldering in my chest and felt my hot blood moving through my veins. I awakened my damaged nerve endings and flesh in the wound and brought to life a fire. Out of the opening in my side, flames sparked and flickered as I cauterized my own wound. When the fire went out, I took the needle and medical thread she held toward me. I proceeded to stitch my own wound closed with her watching.

Then Mom handed me a gauze pad with healing oils smeared on it. I pressed it to my side and let her apply medical tape to it to keep it in place. She sighed quietly through her nose, "Warren."

I looked down at her. She wasn't much shorter than me. _Certainly taller than Stronghold…_

"I'm tired, Mom. I have school tomorrow." I said. I picked up my shirt, my jacket and my bandana and moved past her out of the bathroom. I heard her sigh again. But it sounded so resigned and morbid that I paused. I turned and looked back at her as she brushed her fingertips underneath her eye.

"You're just like your father…when he was your age. In so many ways."

I felt something clench inside of me. Normally in a situation like this, I would simply apply my fist to the speaker's ribs, or growl menacingly that no one was to talk about my father. But this was different. The world out there was the same as the world in here, but yet so different. All the time growing up, Mom would say that I was just like him.

Now that I'm getting older, I'm becoming less and less proud of myself when she says things like that. Yes, I love my father, I miss him, I wish he was still here in my life, and not in some security tight building that required a wall of hazy glass that was thicker and stronger than Stronghold Senior himself to be between him and myself in order for me to see him.

But the way Mom has always said that. I'm sure she loved him too…but as more years went by, I became more and more aware of that tone in her voice, or maybe the tone developed as I aged and looked more and more like him physically. I'm not sure. But she just sounded so…regretful.

My fist clenched my jacket and shirt. I shook my head lightly. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not him?" I murmured quietly.

She looked up from her tea, and into my eyes. I stared back silently for a few seconds, waiting for her to say something. But she said nothing. She just simply stood there reading me. Delving into me. Somewhere inside, I wanted her to speak. To end the silence between us that I was so accustomed to. All the time, she would just read me.

So I retreated into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I let my jacket and my shirt fall to the floor. I laid into the coolness of the untouched sheets in my bed. I laid one hand on my stomach and tucked the other behind my head.

Strangely, I found myself wanting something. And I tried to tell myself that it was simply that I wanted my Mom to speak, and to be close to me through words and that I wished she didn't have such a massive control over her emotions. But I knew that it wasn't that at all.

I drew in a long breath and heaved a sigh. My hand slid down my stomach and undid the button of my jeans. Why was I thinking of the frightened, wanting look in those blue eyes? I lowered the zipper and reached in. Why was I imagining the smoothness of that skin? The sensitivity and tenderness of it after I marred it? I leaned my head back into my pillow, letting out a breath. The sound of his scream? The desperate grip of his hand?

I just wondered _why_.

Especially when I finally got myself to come and I had his face in my head.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I rolled myself onto my side and let out an exhausted groan. I dragged my hands down my face, pulling in a long breath and pushing it back out in a craggy sigh. Then I eased myself off of my bed, careful and aware about the pain.

"Hey Will!"

My eyes shot wide open, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." I scrambled to where my jeans and boxers were on the floor. I stepped quickly into them, and hopped around trying to yank them up.

"Hey Will! Where are you?" Layla's voice called from downstairs.

"I'll be down in a second!" I yelled, wincing as I bent over to get my shirt. _Shit, shit, shit! I'm covered in…more time, more time! _"Uhhh…There's some vegetarian pepper rice in the fridge straight from China! Mom brought it home for you!"

"Really? No way!"

"Yeah! Help yourself! I'll be down in a minute!"

"Don't mind if I do!"

I let out a sigh of relief. _Oh thank god…_ Then I limped as fast as I could to the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind me. I pulled in a deep breath and hung my head. Then I limped over to the sink and turned the warm water on.

Today had been the _eleventh _time that Warren had…_come over_ in the span of three and a half weeks. Each time had been pretty much the same. He'd throw me around a bit, toss me face down on my bed, light my ability to feel pain on fire, screw me right to such an explosive orgasm that it was like fireworks were going off in my head, and quickly leave me on my bed paralyzed and trembling without saying a single word.

So far, I'd been lucky enough to be home alone each time he showed up. It seemed that I always had people around every day that he _didn't_ come, whether it be my parents, or any of my friends, even sometimes Gwen Grayson who had taken to tutoring me at home and some of my free periods at school. I never knew when he would because he'd stopped letting me speak to him in school. Each time I tried to approach him, he walked away and left me behind. And so far, I'd been lucky enough not to have anyone walk in on me during or right after his visits while I was kind of…_incapacitated_.

I washed up as quick and thoroughly as I could, got entirely dressed and combed my hair with my fingers. Then I tried to walk as best as I could downstairs, grasping the railing for support. I heard the microwave beep loudly, and I could smell Layla's rice. I grimaced and shook my head at the scent._ Freakin' _hate_ Chinese food…_

I entered the kitchen and saw Layla choosing a fork from the silverware drawer. She saw my frown and smiled, holding her plate of steaming rice toward me, "Want some?"

I leaned against the counter and waved my hand, "Get that away from me." Layla laughed and went over to the table to sit down. I didn't join her. I wouldn't be able to sit. Two,

"Don't you wanna sit down?" Layla asked, looking over at where I was at the counter. And I shook my head, "I am going to stay a reasonable distance from your little plate of death rice." _I'm getting better and better at lying with each coming day!_

She smiled and laughed again. Then she spoke as she ate, "I just got back from school. Me, Ethan, Zack and Magenta had to stay after to finish that scale model of our high speed chase with full demonstration of sidecar hazards."

"Oh did you finish it?" I asked.

Layla nodded, "Yes. Right before Zack stepped on it."

I winced dramatically, "Ooh."

Layla smiled, with a nod, "Yeeeah. I thought Ethan was gonna die." She placed a hand over her heart, "'Noooo!'" I shook my head, "Oh, Zack and his big feet."

Layla nodded, "Yeeah. Magenta jumped him."

I widened my eyes. I almost hurried over and sat down. But I grasped the edges of the counter instead to ensure my stillness, "Is he okay?"

Layla nodded, "Yeah, she didn't hit him too hard. She just jumped on his back and hit him with a piece of our model. It was cardboard so I'm sure he'll be okay."

"Wow. She let him off easy. You guys have been working on it almost all week." I said. Layla sighed, "Yeah. But that's okay. We fixed it in time for the late bus anyways. That's the only thing I could say to get Magenta off of him. I was like 'No, spare Zack! We still have time to fix it! Pleeease!'"

I smiled and laughed, "Zack is lucky you were there."

"You know, I think he's getting even taller." Layla said, bringing a pepper to her lips.

I nodded, "Yeah I think I noticed that too. He stumbled in the hallway the other day while we were walking together. I think it was just because of his size because he didn't trip over anything." Layla scraped the last of her rice to the edge of her plate and savored it on her tongue before finally swallowing it.

"My god, I love your mom so much." She said, rolling her eyes up towards the ceiling.

I snickered, "Want her?"

"I heard that young man."

I looked over my shoulder and in came Mom, fully dressed in her favorite navy power suit and her glasses placed neatly on her nose. She set her briefcase down on the island and I laughed, "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Will." Mom smiled and looked around me and waved at Layla, "Hey, Layla. Looks like Will gave you the meal I brought home especially for you." Layla nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Stronghold. And thank you sooo much for it. It was delicious."

"I immediately thought of you during the celebration of me and the Commander helping _Tánxìng wén_ hold together the wall of China." Mom said, going into the refrigerator.

"_Tánxìng wén_?" Layla and I asked.

"Translation: Elastic Man. He called for your father's strength to help. There _are_ super heroes outside of the U.S. there you two." Mom said, closing the fridge and pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "When I was in Sky High, in my Super History class, I had to do something every week called Super Current Event. I had to look up articles about a super hero every week and share it in class."

Layla shrugged, "We haven't done anything like that."

"Neither have I." I said.

Mom sipped her orange juice and shook her head, "Maybe _I_ should start making you do a Current Event every week." I frowned and raised my eyebrows, "_Mom_!" Layla hid a laugh behind her hand. Mom looked at Layla and pointed at her, "Don't you snicker over there Missy. I could very well make you do one every week too!"

Layla was still smiling, but her laughter had died.

Mom looked from me to Layla and then picked up her briefcase, "I'll be in my office emptying my files, Will."

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Sanctum. Playing pinball." Mom said over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.

I looked back at Layla who laughed, "There's a pinball machine in their Secret Sanctum?" I narrowed my eyes at her, "Well, what does your Mom have in the Greenhouse? Yucca cane trees?"

Layla paused and then nodded, "Yeah actually. She does. Lots of beautiful things."

I sighed, "Of course."

I heard a knock at the door, and a voice call, "Layla? Are you here? Gilbert is dying! Reverend slashed him!" I knew it was Layla's mom's voice, Reverend was one of their new two month old kittens, but I had no idea who Gilbert was. Layla jumped from her seat, "I gotta go, Will!"

"Who's Gilbert?" I asked, eyes wide.

"My pet venus fly trap!" Layla cried out and I heard the door open, close and the commotion of she and her mother speeding back over to their house. I stayed still for a moment and then spoke out loud to myself, "A venus fly trap named Gilbert…hm." I lifted my eyebrows and went over to the fridge for a coke. I bent down and flinched, a gasp hissing out from between my teeth. _Okay…Ow…_

I eased myself back up to stand, and simply chose a water bottle instead. After that, I limped my way to the stairs.

"Oh, Will!" Mom said.

I paused and looked to the left, "Yes, Mom?"

"Do you think we should have lasagna or breakfast for dinner?" She asked, rolling up her button up sleeves having taken off her suit jacket.

Before I could say anything, Dad's voice echoed faintly, "Brinner!" I glanced around and looked back at Mom who was smirking and rolling her eyes. Then she walked out of the foyer mumbling, "What is it with that man and omelets in the evening?"

"Commander Omelet!" came Dad's voice again.

"Yes, Steve!" Mom called, and disappeared into the kitchen.

I pursed my lips and grasped my water bottle. _And I was so in the mood for that lasagna I got out for dinner…_ Then I shrugged with a sigh. I decided that at the moment it was best for me to just go upstairs to my room and try and find that condom and it's wrapper before someone else did.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"And we pick Peace."

I knew what the two fucking idiots were after. They were looking for me to be the midget's demise despite him being my partner in this game. They thought enemies couldn't possibly work together well.

Well they were right. I wasn't up to it. I was fucking pissed that they'd chosen me to play at that moment. I wasn't pissed about playing in particular. I'd spent several gym periods watching those two egotistical villain-wannabes pulverize a pair of students after a pair of students every week when half of the school was shoved into the gym to play Save The Citizen. Quite frankly I really wanted to just shut them the hell up and melt those fucking shit-eating grins off of their stupid faces.

That sounded like a good idea…

But yeah, I was pissed because I was paired with Stronghold. The one I'd been doing my very goddamned best to fucking avoid for the past month. Even when I'd stop by his house for a quick fuck, I was avoiding him. I didn't ever let myself sink down on top of him like I had the first time I screwed him in his bed. I'd fought the mental image of his face and how good and tight he'd felt each time I fucked him. As if it were the first time all over again.

I could feel him glancing nervously over at me as we geared up.

One cold glare stopped that idiotic nonsense.

Then once we were on the court, Boomer called my attention.

"Hothead." I turned and looked over at him. "Stronghold. You're the heroes." I saw the senior chick, Grayson, smile and wave. I looked back at my teammate and saw that the little brat had the nerve to play long-distance kissy face with his little crush.

_Never lose focus. Never look away from your opponent Warren. _I remembered my dad telling me a long time ago.

That of course made me think of how Stronghold's dad had snatched my father from my life and that pissed me off even more.

"Hey! Get your head in the game!" I warned him with a growl.

As I expected, he seemed to get the message because he glanced worriedly my way and then looked toward our wannabe-villain targets.

"You have three minutes to immobilize your opponents and save the citizen." Boomer said from his high and mighty chair as a dummy in pink was lowered over the vat of rotating metal teeth, robotically crying, "Save me! Save me!"

_That's irritating…_

"Ready,"

I turned my head to the left, subtly looking over my shoulder at the villains as they clamored, getting excited for another victory.

"Set,"

_As if, boneheads._ I reassured them with my mind.

"BATTLE!" Boomer let his voice echo through the gym.

I separated myself from Stronghold, and saw the ironically chubby Speedy come toward us, and then circle all around us like some kind of wacked out pinball. Like or not, he was fast. I could just barely follow him with my eyes.

I heard Stronghold grunt and he went flying. I turned my head to the left, and saw him coming a bit too late. Then I too went flipping through the air and landed heavily down onto the two newspaper dispensers, crushing them both.

Grinding my teeth and fuming, but not quite steaming yet, I got to my feet, dragging the dispensers from the floor and then I threw them out of the court. The second I looked up, Stretchy's striped arms were wrapping themselves around me, pinning my arms to my body.

"Hah!" I heard him laugh. "What now, Peace?"

I wasn't one for touching. Apparently Elastic didn't understand that. My already high body temperature rose and I felt hot fire come bursting from my arms.

"OWW!" His arms retracted from me considerably quickly. I reveled in the feel of the fire against my limbs before it went out having accomplished its purpose.

"Hey! Coach! That's a foul! Call something on that!" He whined, waving his arms at Boomer who laughed and looked on in amusement.

I didn't pay attention to the fact that Stronghold was getting his ass kicked around by Flash. I wasn't his babysitter and I had my own problems to deal with; like melting Rubber Boy's face off.

I wound up a scorching fireball in my right palm as Stretchy elongated his legs. Then I launched it at him baseball style. He barely managed to loop himself sideways to dodge it, thus my fireball flew on straight and true to smack Boomer straight in the face, almost knocking him from his perch.

I vaguely heard the laughter in my own anger and annoyance at Elastic.

"Watch it Hothead!"

I heard a loud crack. I looked and jumped up just in time to avoid the wave of the floorboards that reached upward under my feet. _Fucking idiot twerp Stronghold…_

The midget picked up with Rubber Boy and Speedy started running around me like a pinball again, agitating me to no end. It was like a game of dodge ball. I knew somewhere in his smug, ignorant mind he was thinking it was more like a game of dodge the blistering fireballs or likely become nothing but a pile of ashes.

He knew he was pissing me off. He took to the walls of the court and I was launching fireballs like a machine, just narrowly missing him each time. After I threw a strong one, my feet landed after my windup and I saw Stronghold just standing there smirking at Stretchy whom he'd managed to tie into a knot on the streetlamp like a fucked up pretzel on a stick.

_Goddamned stupid, unaware, _smug… "HEY!"

He jumped and whipped around to look at me.

I gestured to the stupid obviously forgotten dummy, the one hanging above the vat of metal teeth, "Save the citizen!" I resisted calling him several colorful names.

I was satisfied when he glanced at the clock and went running. I turned and saw Dash coming at me. _Oh I am so done with this character…_ He was gonna be a charred pig. I flinted and threw out my hands, bringing the anger to the surface in the form of an inferno, letting it surround either of my arms. When he came right at me to send me flying backwards, I was gonna stand fast and wrap him into one fiery embrace.

But he didn't run right at me. He didn't even try to knock me off the floor. I saw him pass me on my left, but then he circled back around. And then he was just a blur. He ran circles around me, becoming a fence. My hair whipped up with the wind from his speed.

But then something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

I couldn't breathe. My lungs drew in cold, empty air. The fire upon my arms went out as I grabbed at my chest. I gasped, desperately trying to breathe. Worse than that, I was starting to feel cold. Ice fucking cold. My whole body was usually one big furnace, especially my heart which was the source of my fire. But the iciness was taking over me, slinking through my veins.

I sunk down to my knees and one hand, gasping urgently, drawing in false air. The iciness had started at my hands and feet, but it had traveled quickly up my limbs, going into my chest. I was freezing. Not just in that shivering way of freezing; but in that harsh, sharp painful way; as if icicles were falling all over my insides, impaling my flesh, drawing away the warmth, _killing_ the fire inside of me. The air was so cold that it stung my throat horribly. My heart beat slower and slower, feeling colder and colder. I sunk closer to the unfriendly, unforgiving floorboards, losing the strength to hold myself up.

And then the merciless cage around me was suddenly gone.

I drew in a vigorous gasp, trying to feel the warmth of air gathering in my lungs. I heard a distant crash. I pushed myself upward from the floor in attempt to look about me, still gasping for air. I felt hands grab a hold of the shoulder and back of my gear. I looked through my hair to see Stronghold.

I heard the crowd counting down from five. Stronghold lifted me right off of the floor and then…_threw_ me. I went flying over the vat of metal teeth and collided with the 'citizen', ripping it from the rope.

I heard Boomer's whistle echo as I tumbled across the floor, finally landing on my back, the dummy landing on top of me.

"TIME!"

I lifted the citizen off of me.

"She's alive!"

Then I threw it to the side.

"HEROES WIN!"

Then I slowly started to force myself to sit up. What I really wanted to do was just remain lying there on the floor. That icy pain was still inside of me, and it hurt to breathe. The warmth was taking its sweet-ass time to spread back through me. But I wasn't gonna show vulnerability to anyone here.

Stronghold came trotting over to me, grinning like a dope and holding out a hand to help me up. His stupid grin faded when I refused his help and gathered myself up to stand. I felt the icy shock as I placed pressure on my feet. Gritting my teeth, I managed to walk away.

On tender feet I sort of limped into the locker room, not sure which foot to favor. I reached to my chest and grabbed a hold of the thin armor and pulled it off of me, the Velcro screeching quietly as it came loose. I dropped it on the floor in front of my locker and pulled off the guards on my arms and yanked the grip gloves from my hands, dropping them as well. I got my locker open and got my towel.

I couldn't fucking remember the last time I had felt cold. In fact, I doubt if I ever had felt cold. I pulled the thin zipper down my back with trembling fingers. I shrugged the material of the tight suit from my shoulders and pulled it down my chest. I was shivering, craving the small source of warmth the suit had given me. Goose bumps slithered across my exposed skin. As soon as I got the suit and my sneakers off, I went into the empty showers. I chose a nozzle in the farthest corner and turned the red faucet on as far as it would go.

I winced and pulled in a gasp through my teeth when the icy water fell down on me. I pressed my palms to the tiled wall, willing myself to hold on until the water got warm. Fuck, I was shivering all the way down to my ankles before the water got warm. But god…the warmth…it felt so good. The commotions in the locker room outside the showers just sort of faded away from me.

It wasn't too long before steam was rising from the showerhead and piping hot water was spilling down onto me. I hung my head, still pressing my hands to the wall, and closed my eyes. I drew in good long breaths, savoring the thickness of the hot air in my lungs. The coldness in my veins started to fade, slowly being replaced with the comforting heat that I knew well. My heartbeat slowly started to pick up, the ice that I felt had almost frozen it was going away.

I was actually starting to feel alive again. Not on the verge of death. I'd known pain in my life, but I had never felt anything like that. The absence of heat. Even in the coldest blizzard of winter, I could walk through it bare-ass naked and be entirely warm and unaffected by the cold. A shiver went down my spine as the unwelcome thought of the iciness that had spread through my body came back into my head.

_I couldn't fucking breathe…I swear to fuckin' god I was _dying_…It was so cold…_

I pulled in another long, thankful breath. _Oxygen._ So there was my ultimate weakness. _The absence of oxygen…_

"Hey. A-are…are you okay?"

My hands clenched into fists on the wall. "_Fuck off_, Stronghold." I growled. My voice was really hoarse, and it hurt to talk. I swallowed to wet my throat, and still hung my head, reveling in the heat of the water. Recuperating in it. Healing.

"Warren," I felt his warm palm gently settle against my shoulder blade.

My muscles clenched and flinched away. "_Don't_ fucking touch me." I rasped.

"You're cold. Are you okay?" He asked, sounding very concerned. I felt both of his hands on me this time. One on my shoulder blade and one daringly on my shoulder. I threw my elbow back and I could tell I caught him right in the chest because he pulled in a gasp. "Get the fuck off me! What the hell do you want from me?" I yelled, not turning to look at him, my vocal chords protesting. I could hear him coughing, trying to breathe properly.

I turned off the water faucet and I missed the steamy heat so much. I grabbed my towel and wrapped it securely around my waist before turning and leaving the showers, not even letting myself look at him. I dressed at my locker, and shut it firmly before leaving the empty locker room altogether.

The heat in my heart smoldered healthily in my chest as I breathed in and out, never to take oxygen for granted ever fucking again. And even as I was thinking that, in came Stronghold into my head. His hands had been so fucking warm. I had just wanted to draw it in. Push him into the wall and press my cold lips into the warm, pulsing vein in his neck. Turn him around and shove my dick into him, wrap my arms around him and just gather and share his warmth. Grind my chest into his back. Thrust in and out of him, taking in the heat of his taut insides.

I shook my head vigorously, and growled, "Fucking…Strongh…" I ran my palm down my face and sighed heavily as I walked to my next class. _Stronghold…_


	14. Running Late

**I remember when I was young and gas prices were feeble...less than $2.50...I miss that...And I also hate how my mom's new car is black...mine is gray...so totally unfair. Ah well, Green Eyed Sue (my car), gets me from A to B. And is big enough to survive a brawl with a big Chevy extended cab truck. And just because she's gettin' old does not mean that I can't just paint her black, and maybe put some skulls on her...hehe...-scheming-**

******Merry meet my anxious, excited readers. I have been getting comments and messages filled with all sorts of questions! You guys are becoming so antsy in your pantsies! Sadly my friends, I cannot give you that satisifaction with my words. I can only answer your questions through my writing ^_^ But it joys me to see how badly you all want to know-know-know! I don't blame you. If the shoe was on the other foot, I'd want to kill me. XDD**

* * *

"OOOOOH!" Royal Pain ripped off her helmet and threw it to the floor of her lair, revealing the face of Gwen Grayson. She leaned back in her throne and crossed her leg angrily, and pressed her knuckles to her cheek, staring hatefully at the screen in front of her. There was her prized invention of long ago, The Pacifier.

Stitches peeked from behind the control panel where he'd ducked when Gwen had launched her helmet. Seeing her seething, glaring eyes, he decided that it was best to simply duck back down and remain where he was, safe from her strong hands that had a habit of choking him when aggravated.

"Stitches, I don't get it. I failed to get him to go to Homecoming, he just said," she mocked, "'Nah, I'm just hang stay in tonight. I'm expecting someone.'! Hell, I can hardly get this idiot to look at me! I've been inside his house _three_ times! I can't get him up to his room! He just wants to study in the living room! I can't get this kid to even _acknowledge_ me more than an occasional wave in the hallway! AGH!" Gwen pounded her fist into the arm of her throne.

Stitches winced from where he was hiding.

"What am I doing wrong? I've got just about every other boy in school _drooling_ over me! Stupid little Stronghold _whelp_! AH! Is it my hair? Is it my hair, Stitches?" She grabbed at her long brown hair. "Does he prefer girls with short hair? Or does he like blondes? _Redheads_?"

Stitches peeked over the panel and suggested with a nervous giggle, "Not his type?"

"For god's sake, he's a _fourteen_ year old boy! _What_ type isn't a fourteen year old boy's type?" Gwen yelled, looking for something to throw at him in her lair. Not able to find anything, instead she kicked the control panel and he ducked behind it with a yelp. She ran her gloved fingers through her hair and stared at The Pacifier where it was onscreen.

From his hiding place, Stitches suggested, "Maybe he doesn't like girls?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Lunatic! He may be small and helpless and innocent…but I know he has _interest_. I've seen how he hangs around with that Layla girl. And I _know_ he was slobbering over me the first day of school! He stammered and everything because his tongue was hanging so far out of his mouth! Maybe it's because he's nervous? God, I have to do everything myself don't I? I'm _not_ gonna let this little runt defeat me!"

She stood up from her throne and Stitches peeked out from behind the panel.

"I _will_ get back The Pacifier!" Gwen yelled.

"Yay!" Stitches cried, his trademark grin overtaking his face.

"I _will_ have my revenge!"

"Yay!" Stitches exclaimed, raising his little fists into the air.

Gwen turned, her cloak billowing around her, "Now for some scheming!"

"I'll go make scones and _tea_ to help with the scheming!" Stitched exclaimed, joyfully thrusting a finger into the air, and he bustled and bounced out of the secret lair, his giggles echoing off the walls.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I thought it was nice that Gwen invited me to sit at her table with Penny, the school cheerleader who made up the whole squad with her doppelgangers, and a couple other of her senior friends. She really seemed happy that I accepted her invitation to sit beside her. Even a little excited. On the inside, the real reason I sat down at their table was because it had an amazing view of Warren across the cafeteria.

His head was bent over a magazine as usual or maybe it was a comic…I'd never gotten close enough to see. His long hair hung around his face, like a dark curtain. I licked my lips and swallowed when he lifted his gloved hand from the surface of the table he was sitting at. Then he tucked the curtain on the left side of his face behind his ear.

_God…he's so…beautiful… _I doubted anyone else in the school would ever describe Warren Peace as beautiful. Dark. Scary. Dangerous. Maybe the mortal girls thought of him as the dangerous bad boy sexy, because most of them couldn't recognize how dangerous he really was.

But my attention was so drawn to him. I was still worried about him since gym class a couple days ago. In the showers his skin had felt so cold. I'd never known him to feel even placidly room temperature. Without being on fire, his skin always felt like a burning furnace. But he'd been _cold_. And in the past four days, he'd been doing an even more thorough job of avoiding me. He hadn't even been to my house.

"So what do you think?" Gwen asked.

"Huh? Oh. That's definitely not a ray. It's a beam." I said, looking at the picture that Gwen was pointing at in her Mad Science textbook. _Oh wow…I'm getting really good at this…_

Gwen raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Impressive."

I looked up from the textbook, noticing Layla, Magenta, Zack and Ethan coming from the kitchen with their trays. I raised a hand, "Hey! Guys! Over here!"

They smiled. Magenta mumbled something to them as they approached, it seemed that Zack replied. And when they were almost to the table, I jumped when a glittery spark of orange light burst. And all of a sudden, I was sharing the table with five more Pennys. One of them smirked and mocked, "Sorry!"

"All full!" Another teased.

My friends frowned and Layla said, "That's okay. I think I see a table over there guys." Then they walked away.

My mouth was hanging open, and my eyebrows were somewhat lowered. One of the Pennys turned toward me and opened her mouth to say something. But I cut her off angrily. And all the Pennys jumped back in surprise.

"For god's sake, Penny! What the hell was that? Those are my _friends_!"

"…Will…gimme a break…they're," One of them started.

"My _friends_!" I repeated and then I got to my feet, picking up my tray. "And you're just a conceited bitch." I looked down at Gwen whose eyes were wide with surprise. "Sorry Gwen. I don't think I get along with your friends." I glanced around at the Pennys. It seemed like they were speechless for once in their…_her_ life. It was as if they'd never been talked to like that before. Something told me that it was about time.

So I left that lunch table behind and walked after _my friends_. I was pretty sure I heard Gwen growl behind me, "Nice going, _Penny_…"

They all looked up at me as I sat down. I placed my tray down and picked up my bottle of orange juice. I glanced around at them and unscrewed the cap. "I'm sorry about that guys."

Zack was the first to speak, "Hey it's okay, man."

Ethan and Magenta nodded quietly. I looked at Layla who was pouring some dressing over her salad. She looked at me and smiled, "You can make it up to me."

I snorted, "Oh god. Paper Lantern?"

Layla laughed, "_Your_ treat."

I nodded then looked at everyone. "You guys wanna go? Eight tonight?"

Zack's excited smile faded, "Eight? I can't. On Thursdays it's family movie night starting at eight." Magenta cocked an eyebrow, "Family movie night? Isn't that a little sitcom-y?" Zack rolled his eyes, "I know. Mom's afraid we're gonna become a family that watches TV in separate rooms and IM each other when dinner's ready. She's even got us eating at the table now. That didn't exactly help anything the first time because Vicky suddenly powered up one night and all the silverware attached itself to her face…like some sort of fridge magnet…"

Magenta snorted. I couldn't help it either. I knew Zack's nine year old sister well. The fact that she'd powered up long before she was going to enter Sky High made me proud of her.

Zack nodded, "I know. Now Mom's got all the silverware in a box. Do you have any idea how hard it is to cut a steak with a plastic butter knife?"

We laughed. And I shrugged, "Okay then. How about you Ethan?"

Ethan shook his head, "Not allowed out of the house after 8pm on weekdays. My parents are really concerned with my sleep levels possibly affecting my schoolwork."

I looked to Magenta, "Maj?"

She shook her head as well, "If it's the same Chinese restaurant I'm thinking of, I do my best to avoid that place during the late shift."

"Why not?" Layla asked. "Is there something wrong with the late shift? I've never gone there past six."

Magenta stirred her fork in her pasta lunch and shrugged nonchalantly, "I punched one of their busboys in the eye." We all paused. Then we looked down at our food. Whatever the story was, we all knew that it was probably one that was best to simply be left alone.

So I sighed and sipped my orange juice, "Well, I guess it's just you and me tonight Layla," I smacked my lips and applied a British accent, "I shall meet you at the Paper Lantern at precisely eight o'clock sharp."

Layla munched on a radish and went along with my game, speaking with an equally British voice, "I shall be at said establishment right on the _dot_."

Zack chuckled, leaning his head back, "I love random moments with accents. They make me feel all _happy_." I nodded, "I'm sure they do, Zack. You got a little ketchup on your shirt." I pointed.

Zack leaned back, looking down at one of his trademark, bright neon yellow shirts, "Aw, man! That blows…this is my favorite shirt." Ethan frowned, "I thought the other bright yellow shirt was your favorite?" Zack shook his head, gingerly dabbing his napkin in his Sprite, "No I changed my mind. But I guess the other bright yellow shirt is gonna be my favorite again…"

It felt good to really sit and just hang out with them again. Enjoy the little things I suppose. And there was another plus. If I tilted my head slightly to the left and looked over Layla's shoulder, I had a perfect frontal view of Warren. I could still feel that worry stirring in the pit of my stomach. I hoped he would come around soon.

_Wait…come around to what? I don't exactly mean that much to him…in fact I'm pretty sure he still hates my guts…and that's not likely to change…_

* * *

There was a knock on the door while I was in the living room doing my homework. Mom called from the kitchen, "Will! Can you get that? I'm kinda wrestling with the roast!"

I put my pencil down in my notebook where I was scrawling hurriedly. Mom said it'd be okay for me to meet Layla at the Paper Lantern, but only if I completely finished my homework first. She'd gotten a call from Medula to let her know that I was missing two assignments out of fifty-two which is not the most acceptable in Mom's eyes. Not that she really voiced it. She seemed to think that I was in some delicate, changing, hormonal stage in my life and it was easier to communicate with me if she was my teenaged friend as much as she was my mother.

She had subtly sort of hinted at me to do the two late assignments while she was tying up the roast for the big romantic dinner she had decided to have with Dad on account that I would be out of the house for most of the evening. But at this rate, this hard-ass homework was taking me a little longer than I had expected. It was almost twenty-eight minutes past eight o'clock already. It would take me maybe twenty, twenty-five minutes to run there. Layla didn't have a cell phone so I wouldn't be able to call her to let her know about my lateness. But that was okay, I didn't have one either.

But as I hopped up, I was pretty sure that she would be understanding enough about my homework excuse. Plus, if I needed more proof, I could tell her to ask my mom who would tell the truth to the most accurate degree with a bright as-a-matter-of-fact-ness.

I hurried to the door and pulled it open.

There was Gwen Grayson standing there. She offered a sweet smile. "Hi, Will."

I bit my lip and put my hand against the doorway, "Uh, hi Gwen."

There was a moment of silence before both of us started to speak, "Listen, I'm,"

There was a pause.

Then, "You go,"

Then we both sighed and smiled at one another lightly.

I reached up and rubbed at my chin, "Gwen, I'm really sorry for…well, basically exploding at lunch today. I hope I didn't embarrass you or get you into a fight with Penny."

Gwen was already shaking her head, "No, no. It's okay really. I'm the one who should be apologizing. Penny can be a little, well, erratic sometimes."

I licked my lips nervously, "I really am sorry if what I said made you two mad at each other or more likely at me."

Gwen shook her head, "I'm not mad. Penny's ego is a little sore but she'll heal up just fine." She smiled, giving me the go to smile back.

I really did feel bad about that afternoon. And I didn't want to upset Gwen. She was nice and a big help on my Mad Science work. I hoped that she didn't expect me to apologize to Penny though. That I wouldn't do, because I meant what I said. I was just a little surprised that I had had the guts to say it.

_Warren might've been proud of me had he seen it._

"Will?"

"Huh?"

Gwen smiled lightly, "You were staring at me."

"Oh, uh, sorry." I said. _I may have been staring but I didn't see you. _I thought. Ever since the first time I had had sex with Warren in the boathouse in the park, I had gotten pretty good at drifting away when I merely thought of his name.

"Listen uh, I've got some homework to finish. I have two late assignments for Medula." I said. Gwen's eyebrows raised. I nodded, "Yeah I know. But I'm working on them. So I'll talk to you in school tomorrow?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, Will. I'll see you in the Mad Science lab."

"Okay, good. See ya." I said, starting to close the door.

"See ya." She said and then she was behind the shut door. I turned and scampered back into the living room. I got a look at the clock and let out a nervous, pressured gaggle of groans. I flopped onto the couch and picked up my pencil and started scrawling so fast that my writing was barely legible. It was _well past_ 8:30pm. And ticking closer and closer to nine.

"Hey! I'm home!" I heard Dad yell from the foyer as he gently closed the door.

"Hey Dad!" I called, flipping a page in my textbook and cursing profoundly under my breath when I saw that I had to do four more problems.

"Can't wait to see what you got cooking in there Josie!" Dad came into the living room and set down his briefcase and overcoat. "Hey, kid. Whatcha doin'? Thought you were going to meet Layla."

I scoffed, "I am. Once I finish this awful homework."

Dad chuckled, "Made a deal with the boss huh?" Then he sniffed a couple of times, "Is something burning?"

As if on cue, the smoke detector started going off, and Mom started shrieking, "Shit! Shit! Shit!" over and over again.

Me and Dad sprinted into the kitchen. Mom was wearing oven mitts and smoke was billowing from the oven. She threw open the door a bit too quickly and the racks inside spilled onto the door. The roast that Mom had been cooking was now a mini bonfire.

I started freaking out.

Mom was freaking out.

Dad was freaking out.

The sprinklers came on over our heads and started showering us with water and we all started freaking out some more.

But the water from the sprinklers put the roast out. Dad went running to the control box to turn off the sprinklers as me and Mom bounced around in the kitchen, blinking cold water out of our eyes. And then the water stopped falling down on us and the smoke detector stopped bleeping obnoxiously. Dad reentered the room and I brushed my hair out of my eyes. Mom readjusted her glasses and looked at the charred remains of her roast.

"Oh, _no_…" She started.

"Mom, it's alright." I said quickly.

Dad hurried forward and pulled her into his arms, "Josie it's okay." She heaved a sigh, and brushed the tears out from under her glasses, "I wanted everything to be _perfect_ tonight. Not set the house on _fire_!"

"Shh, shh. It can still be perfect. C'mon, Josie. Remember that new Greek restaurant we flew over last week? Do you? We can go there tonight. It can be just as perfect and just as romantic as you had planned."

"But, it,"

"No, no. It's okay."

"I'm a mess!" Mom cried.

I reached up and rubbed at the back of my neck. I hated to see Mom cry.

Dad laughed, "That's okay!" Then he picked her right up off of the ground. She exclaimed, "Whoa! Sweet Mary mother of Joseph!"

Dad laughed and twirled her around in the air, then headed with her out of the kitchen. "Don't worry Josie. I think you look sexy with your hair wet! C'mon! Let's take our soaking wet rears to the car and drive over to _Helena's _and waltz in there like we own the joint!"

"Steve! I don't know,"

Dad simply laughed harder, "See ya in the morning, Will!"

"See ya!" I called, a little mystified but happy nevertheless.

I reached up and rubbed at the back of my neck, hearing the car doors open, Mom's perplexed giggles, Dad's roaring laughter. Then I heard the car doors shut and Dad drive out of the driveway to leave White Hills behind. I sighed quietly through my nose and looked around the kitchen. I brushed my wet hair back and sighed again. I smiled, thinking of Mom's face when Dad lifted her into the air as if she were a child. _I hope they have a good time._

Then I set to work. First I threw out what was left of the roast, and washed the pan in the sink, also washing the cutting board and the knives that Mom had used in the preparations. I wiped down the oven and then closed the door. I swept the water from the counters into the sink, as much of it as I could direct into it anyway.

Then at last I went to the closet and got the mop. Contently I started mopping up the kitchen. I was wringing the mop out in the sink when I remembered what I was doing before the roast burst into flames.

"_Shit_." I whispered and my eyes darted to the clock. It was past nine. I dropped the mop and darted out of the kitchen, "Shit! Oh man! Damn it!" I grabbed my jacket, and ignored the last four unfinished problems in my homework, thinking that I'd do them when I got back or something. I sloppily yanked on my Converse without tying the laces. I had one arm through the sleeve of my jacket and the other hand on the doorknob. When I yanked open the door, I froze swiftly in my tracks.

He cocked an eyebrow down at me as his dark eyes bore into me. His gaze flicked to my jacket which was hanging off of my arm, to my untied sneakers and then back to my eyes. In my head I could almost hear him gruffly ask something along the lines of, _Where the fuck do you think you're going?_

Even when he took a step forward, giving me a good one-handed shove to the floor, I was still in shock. He was _here_. I wondered what was going through his head, if he was angry with me for what had happened in the showers.

All of my thoughts fled my mind when he closed the front door behind him and knelt down beside me. He glared into my eyes, and I started to feel my heart race. A shiver went down my spine and then right back up it. He said nothing, he just glared at me. He did nothing, he just tilted his head like a predator at me.

I wanted him so badly to say something. To do something. His studying eyes were peeling away the layers of myself. Making me afraid. Making me vulnerable. Making me…excited. There was something in his eyes that was different though. Like he was puzzled perhaps. Something in me urged my hand to reach and touch the side of his face. Feel his clenched jaw, and give him comfort. To feel that he was warm again. The last time I had touched him, he had been so cold. So angry. So hurt.

Finally he moved. He reached with his bare hand and yanked my jacket from my arm and harshly tossed it across the foyer. He grabbed the toe of my sneakers and one at a time ripped them from my feet. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and stood, dragging me toward the stairs. My breath was coming quicker as I hurriedly crawled, attempting to keep my feet.

At the top of the stairs he threw me against the wall. I grunted at the impact and then his bare hands were slipping under the hem of my shirt. I gasped and cried out at the heat against my chest. It was familiar but at the same time so new. My wounds had healed in his absence. It was like being marred for the first time all over again.

I yelled out when he gripped my sides with blazing hot fingers, clawing into my skin. I swear I could feel the heat penetrating right through my insides until it went right through to my skin again. He tossed me like a rag doll to the floor in front of my bedroom doorway. And I felt my already throbbing sides become bludgeoned by the toe of his boot. I shouted out, squeezing my eyes closed.

My scalp burned when he seized my hair in his fist. He dragged me into my room and threw me onto the bed. My hands went to my hurting sides and pressed into them hard, making me gasp at the pain. I clenched my teeth and whimpered. He slammed my bedroom door closed behind him. He looked to me, and saw me heightening the pain he had given to me. My eyebrows were arched upward and I looked with frightened, hurt eyes into his.

He shrugged his leather jacket to the floor, freeing his strong, muscular arms left bare by his sleeveless black shirt. His hard leather wristband was buckled around his wrist as it always was, except the buckles were turned outward instead of resting against the inside of his wrist. And then he stepped with even steps across my room to where I lay shuddering against the sheets on my bed. I watched him stare down at me, his long, dark framing his face.

I winced and whimpered when he dragged my shirt upward and yanked it off of me, tossing it to the floor. Then I yelled out when I felt his hand light up with fire against my back. I screamed when I felt his fingertips run like razorblades up and down my back. I remembered how it felt as if he were slicing open my skin and sending the pain of his fire deep within my muscles.

Then he gripped my hair in one of his fists again and yanked me up from lying on my bed to my knees. I whimpered and trembled and then screamed when his free hand clawed down my chest starting at my breastbone. He was so close I could smell him. I could feel the bareness of his white hot chest. I had had no idea that he had taken off his shirt. I had missed the searing hotness of him. I had missed everything so much. The darkness of his eyes. The feel of his fire ravaging my skin. The feel of his presence all in all and all the things he did to me and how he made me feel.

My erection was straining against my jeans, crying for release. But if he had noticed, he did his very best to ignore it. His burning hand raged across my chest, making me moan and scream. I felt his breath against my neck, and then his teeth sunk hard into my shoulder. I writhed against his touch, yelling out, feeling his teeth break my skin, and draw blood.

Then he yanked the button loose on my jeans and pulled the zipper down. He released my hair and shoved me back down onto my mattress. My hands gripped the sheets and I felt tears brim my eyes as he yanked my boxers and my jeans right off of me, and deposited them onto the floor. And then I screamed when his hands looped around my ankles and agonizingly slowly began to drag their flaming touch up my legs.

He made thorough work, making every visible inch of my legs and my back tender and marred by his fiery touch. Things became familiar again when he grabbed my thighs and shoved them under me, parting them so I was entirely open and exposed to him. My breathing was quickening so much that I could have been hyperventilating. Even while I was burning up, I could feel goose bumps scuttle across my skin as I trembled in anticipation upon hearing a condom wrapper tear. My penis was pressing painfully against my bed, untouched and aching.

But I couldn't let go of the sheets, especially when he shoved himself deeply inside me, immediately brushing against that one spot. I gasped, dark spots danced across my vision, and the burning pain of his penetration bloomed like a fire itself. I heard him groan through his teeth, and he drew back, and thrust hard back into me. It felt like an earthquake of agony started shaking through me as he picked up a hard and swift pace, clasping my hips with his bruising, fiery grip.

Each one of my screams seemed to egg him on. He drove harder and harder into me. My stomach was erupting in extreme heat, and little bugs of pleasure and pain were scuttling all around my insides as he kept hitting that one spot inside of me. I tried to swallow with my nearly suffocating breath. My mouth had gone so dry and yet my eyes were so wet.

This was the hardest he had ever thrust into me. It was a dance of agony and heightening pleasure. His hands shifted, blazing fiery trails all across my abused back. Up and down my shuddering, hurting chest. I could hardly breathe. My muscles were tensing so hard and the chords in my neck were clenched. He clawed his fingertips down my breastbone, driving a scream from my lungs. I squeezed my eyes shut, writhing and squirming under him while he administered more of his heat, driving me insane with the wonderful, amazing agony.

I was sobbing against my sheets, gripping them tightly in my hands. He gripped the back of my neck, pushing me into the mattress, his other arm hooked around my squirming waist, keeping me where he wanted me as he thrust in and out of my insides. His skin was aflame and I felt as if the force of a mountain were pressing down on me. I was so close to falling so hard over the edge that I wondered if I would go into a coma.

I gathered what was left of my control and I started pushing myself back to meet his thrusts. I heard his gasp and his growl. I felt him pulse within me and grow even hotter inside of me. Fireworks exploded in my skull, and I came, screaming out loudly as I did. I heard his grunt and his husky exhale.

For a second it was dark, but I was brought back to consciousness when I felt his big hands pressing down on me, supporting himself as he panted. My head was turned to the side. My body was trembling and twitching. My panting was laced with shudders and gasps. And I couldn't move at all. My shivering limbs were plagued with tingling tremors, as if they had fallen asleep.

It took him a moment to gather himself over me. And then I felt him shift and move off of the bed. His zipper was yanked back up and his belt clinked as he buckled it. I felt his footsteps move across the floor and leave my room. I let my eyelids sink entirely closed. The darkness was wrapping around me, but I couldn't fall asleep. As always I was going to be a satisfied, vulnerable prisoner of this trembling paralysis until I recovered from it. Left here like usual after Warren had finished with me. I didn't mind. I welcomed what he gave to me.

My eyes shot back open when I heard movement in the hallway. _Oh no. Mom and Dad. _I tried so hard to move, to get myself out of this exposed position I was in. I couldn't be found like this. What would they say if they saw the marks all over my body? I struggled to make myself move, willing my hands to push me at least off of the bed and out of sight.

But I couldn't and the footsteps came to my open doorway. Fear jumped to my mind. I tried to think of things to say to them. Excuses. Something. But I couldn't. I was paralyzed, exposed and scared. And I was about to be discovered. Unable to think, I simply closed my eyes, not wanting to see it happen.

And I _was_ discovered. Another gasp and shudder ripped through me as I laid there in my trembling, frozen state. I could feel eyes falling onto me.

I could feel them in my doorway. I could the eyes staring across the room at me as I gasped, shuddered, trembled and shivered. And then I heard footsteps slowly come into my room. I heard each step across the floor. And they stilled. I could feel a presence standing over me where I lay. Shame crept through my heart and shadowed my mind. I felt tears come to my closed eyes.

And then my bed dipped as someone sat on the edge of it. A scent came to my nose. Spicy fire and leather. I pulled open my eyes and looked. There was _Warren_.

His chest was unclothed. His dark hair hung about his face as he stared down at me. Through my blurred vision from the tears, I couldn't see his eyes very well. Even in my current quivering paralyzed state, I learn that I could still feel. I felt his warm hand push me until I was collapsed on my side, my hands splayed on the sheets in front of me. I blinked away my tears, and looked up at him.

His face was expressionless but his eyes…his dark eyes seemed…warm. Smoldering like a gentle campfire.

His warm hand left my skin and he passed something from his other hand into it. I looked to it. It approached me, but hesitated. And then came closer to me until I felt something warm and damp against my chest. Warren softly brushed it halfway down my chest, and then placed it against my collarbone. It was a wet washcloth I realized. He was _cleaning_ my chest of the semen from my orgasm with the upmost gentleness.

I looked back to his eyes. But he only had a gaze for what he was doing. _But why is he doing this…? _I asked myself blearily.

He dragged the cloth once more from my stomach to my breastbone and then lifted it from my skin. He passed the washcloth back to his left hand and settled his right hand against the bed. I found his eyes looking to mine again. I recognized that puzzled look from earlier, but it wasn't as intense. It was more placid, warm and looked more confused than puzzled. His eyebrows were lowered slightly in concentration as he stared into my eyes.

He lifted his right hand from the bed, and reached toward my face. His hand hesitated like it did before, twice this time. But very slowly he eventually placed his big, warm palm against my left cheek. I wasn't sure if my gasp was from the unfamiliar touch, or an effect of my current state. His thumb stroked under my eye, brushing away the tear tendrils. His skin was so warm and comforting.

It wasn't like anything I had ever felt before. I'd known his hands to grow intensely hot, and spread agony across my body like a pleasurable inferno. I'd known them to cause me such pain and pleasure. But I had never known them to be gentle, and to comfort me.

His head tilted slowly to the left. His lips parted slightly, but closed again. His hand moved around to cradle the back of my head, his warm fingers gently moving through my hair. He leaned down slightly, hesitation and confusion plain within him. He paused three times until I could feel his warm breath against my lips.

I closed my eyes, and felt his warm lips softly press against mine. A noise sounded in my throat, and a shudder overtook my chest. His hair was brushing my face. The warmth of his lips seemed to chase away the chill in my face, and slowly spread through my body.

He pulled away slightly. I could still feel his breath mingling with mine. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, feeling my eyebrows arch upward again. I could see the confusion in his eyes, and what seemed like nervousness. His fingertips were brushing slightly against my scalp. He leaned down again, bringing my face closer to his. And his lips found mine again.

He brushed his tongue slowly across my top lip, chasing away my shivering. He drew my lower lip into his mouth and gently sucked on it, banishing my trembling. Then Warren brushed my hair back from my face, his lips capturing mine one last time. And then he pulled away. I looked up at him, fighting the sinking of my eyelids as he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

I'm not sure when, but I fell asleep. My body was void of the shuddering, the twitching, the gasping and the quivering. I was warm and comfortable under my blankets. Never had I felt so peaceful and at ease upon drifting away to sleep.


	15. Xiǎobiàn

**Well, it's been about a month I guess. It's not exactly my fault between my miserable job as a dishwasher, the beginning of my Senior year which sends me home almost every day with an assful of homework. I've gotten a numerous amount of reviews, favorite author thingies, favorite story thingies, and stuff...Some of them pissed me off. **

**For example, some idiot got all bent out of shape because there was straight sex between Warren and Lan like a million chapters ago and did it with a guest name so of course I can't message this person to explain the fact that it is necessary to explaining the characters and never gonna friggin happen again. Seriously...'it says Warren & Will! not Warren & some stupid asian chick!'**

**-_- That was an aggravating cheesegrater to my skull like that fairy that follows you around in that one Zelda game that keeps saying 'Hey! Hey! Listen! Hey! Hey Listen!' God...**

**Oh and I was also accused of plagiarism. Another person with a guest name said that they read something just like the scene in which Will jerked off in the bathroom...which I feel isn't very relevant. I've been in the boy's bathroom, they jerk off in the bathroom during school all the freaking time. So God forbid I accidently write a similar scene to someone freaking elses' little masturbation scene. God, that's like giving someone crap for writing a scene in which a guy wanks in the shower. Hey accuser, go accuse everyone in FF of plagiarizing someone wanking in the shower. Cuz I've read a great many stories, and about every other story has SOMEFREAKINBODY pawing off in the shower. **

**Okay, I'm done griping about that. And yes, I'm a dishwasher, which inspired a new character, Zeke the Dishwasher, in this chapter. Sadly this will only be one or maybe two chapters he stars in. Some of you might find him likeable or possibly funny. A very open guy I'd say. He and I can relate in some ways. Like if he offered to stage a Dishwashers Unite Suicide Pact, I might seriously think about attending...Haha, not that I would do anything. Suicide is too selfish for me. Ah well, I'm just saying I hate the food industry so much, that I can hardly watch Restaraunt: IMPOSSIBLE on FoodNetwork without seething.**

**Good thing I'm going job-hunting tomorrow! ^_^ Haha, being paid to be miserable is not a great deal, even if it IS cash with no tax deduction all under-the-counter and stuff...I'd rather be dirt poor doing something I love instead of being filthy stinkin rich doing something I hate.**

**Oh, and for ya'll who haven't heard yet, I've gone orange! -does the shampoo commercial hair flip- You may call me...Pumpkin Head! Whee! CAN'T WAIT FOR OCTOBER AND HALLOWEEN! **

**Okay...I think I've spent too long venting, I was just trying to catch up with everyone. Please do enjoy this chapter. It lacks Warren fucking Will, but still...It'll still make you fangirls squeal as he battles his feelings.**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I reentered the Lantern through the employee door. I was tying my hair back up when I entered the overwarm kitchen. Shu was thankfully not there. My brief break had been over twenty-five minutes ago and she was probably hell bent for my hide. It also didn't help that when I had left in had strolled a huge, noisy party of senior citizens who were all united because of their common lives with trying to cope with insomnia and thus had all decided to enjoy the nightlife since they couldn't sleep through it.

I hung up my leather jacket and then I tied my apron back around my waist. I glanced around and went to the sink. The new on-shift dishwasher with a long, bleached emoflip looked miserable and exhausted as he washed the dishes, the pots, pans and woks from the very busy night we'd had. I'd hated being a dishwasher. It was hell on my hands and I'd been too stubborn to get myself a pair of washing gloves.

He must have cut his hand on a knife because he had a latex glove on one hand. And I was pretty sure that at the beginning of his shift, he'd had black nail polish on his fingernails. Not anymore, there was probably nothing much left of his fingernails really either. Sure I felt a very small twinge of sympathy, but it was his own fault for using too much bleach, and taking a job as a godforsaken dishwasher at all.

"Rènhé rén zài nàlǐ?" I asked Bai Da as he came in with a cart of dishes to bring to the dishwasher. _Anyone else out there?_

He shook his head, "Nà hóng tóufǎ de xiǎo jīmen réngrán méiyǒu. Dìfāng shì jīhū kōng. Hēihēi, shùnbiàn shuō yīxià, nǎ li yǒu nǐ?" _That redheaded chick is still out there. Place is pretty much empty. Hey, by the way, where have you been?_

I sighed and started filling a pitcher up with fresh, cold water. Then Bai Da smirked. He may have been top chef, and I worked with him a lot, but he was just like everyone else to me pretty much. I didn't enjoy associating with him more than I had to. Kind of how I was starting to feel about Lan…

I solely ignored him when he asked while chuckling, and attempting to nudge my elbow, "Nǐ yǒuguò xìng guānxì! Nǐ èmó!" _You got laid didn't you? You devil! _And then I left the kitchen. I let the door swing closed behind me and closed my eyes. I didn't want to think about that. I'd already spent the ride back to the Lantern grinding my teeth in anger; confusion; and complete bewilderment. What the hell had been going through my head? Why the fuck had I stayed? How the hell did I let my body move forward and just kiss him?

But I hadn't just let it move. I'd still been in control, even while I had been leaning down toward his quivering lips and pausing with every nervous contraction of my muscles. Pausing and hesitating. Any one of those time I hesitated I could have turned away, grabbed my shirt, my jacket and just have left. But nope, I had to fucking give in to that stupid, _crazy_ urge.

Now I was splashing around in confusion, questioning, denial and even though I could hardly admit it to myself, _affection_…

_What the fuck are you doing to me Stronghold? Fuck's sake, I could use a cigarette… _

Bai Da hadn't been lying when he'd said that the redhead chick was still here, apparently waiting for some guy who had so obviously stood her up. She'd been the talk of the kitchen pretty much all night. I shook myself of the mental image of Stronghold's innocent, sleepy face…that I had decided to stroke… _Forget about it…_

I sighed as I spoke, pushing the twerp out of my head, "You still workin' on that?"

The redhead turned and looked at me and I paused. Her eyebrows went up and those soft, light brown eyes widened very slightly. "Hey." She said, her voice gathering a raise up from disappointment.

"…Hey." I grunted.

"We uh, we go to school together." She said.

I pressed my lips together slightly and nodded a bit, "You're Stronghold's friend." _So much for getting that little pest out of my head…_

She nodded back, and looked down and sounded out her response, "Yeeaah…"

_Looks like I'm not the only one trying to avoid that little twerp._

After about a minute of silence I gestured at the hardly touched vegetable rice plate, "You want me to heat that up for you?"

She glanced around, leaned toward me and then whispered, "You're not supposed to use your powers outside of school." I leaned toward her and whispered back, "I was just gonna stick it in the microwave."

She smiled, and it looked like it was a relief for her to smile. She looked at her plate and said, "Uh, I was supposed to be meeting Will here, but, um…" She looked back up at me as I cocked an eyebrow. "You…you wanna sit down?"

I glanced around the place. It was deserted of any customers aside from Stronghold's hippie friend. And I could see Lan across the room sitting at a booth, pretending to be very concentrated on rolling silverware in napkins. Before I'd looked around, I instantly knew that she'd been observing me as she worked. Intrigued, and perhaps a bit annoyed that I was talking to the hippie based on the clenching of her jaw.

So I smugly said, "I think I can spare a minute." And I slipped into the seat across from her in the booth. And just to make it look real good for our audience of one, and to spite Ginger's little comment on power limitations, I lit a candle. Of course Lan didn't see the flame flicker from my finger, but still, she definitely knew that I lit the candle.

It didn't exactly satisfy me after a bit after my eyes had glazed over as hippie girl, who I now knew was called, _Layla_, launched into a bunch of stories without my really having asked about them.

I phased in and out, shared fortune cookies with Hippie, subtly glancing at Lan, whose face was getting stiffer and redder. I came back in as she told me about how she revealed to Stronghold her powers back in their elementary school which had resulted from the growing of lima beans, and had produced a long friendship.

_This chick couldn't be more obvious if it was stamped on her pretty little forehead… _I found it sort of interesting, but at the same time, I felt heat rise in my throat. And it tasted like revulsion. Territorial revulsion.

"We've been best friends ever since." She smiled nostalgically, twirling her napkin in between her hands.

"Hmm," I hummed. "And falling for him, was that before or after the lima beans?"

Her eyebrows shot up and she looked up at me. "Whoa wait," she said. She stared at me with wide eyes.

_Yeah, don't deny it Hippie…_

She lowered an eyebrow and tilted her head at me.

_Don't look at me and wonder how I know. It's pretty obvious._

Or maybe she was studying the slight glare I had in my eyes, or the dark tone I'd had when I'd spoken.

"What? _Ew_…Gross. No. Never. I mean sure I love him, but I'm not _in_ love with him. He's like my brother." She said, her eyebrows arched and her lip curled a little as if I had suggested actual incest.

I studied her eyes, and I thought if I hadn't been sitting in a booth, I would have fallen backwards. I could usually tell when people were covering something up. And Hippie seemed pretty sincere and honest in her words.

Then I snorted and brushed my thumbs over the table's surface. I looked at her with a smirk, any hostility I'd had gone. "You'd better do something about that quick then."

"What?"

I chuckled, and cocked an eyebrow.

She stared at me a moment and then her jaw dropped, "Does everyone think I like Will or something?"

I shrugged, "I don't know about everyone else, but it seemed clear to me until you said something." She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and ran her hands down her face with a groan, "Greeeat."

She heaved a long sigh and combed her fingers through her hair to fix it. "God, he's probably thinking that me and Will have a thing going on or something." She looked at me and then said, even though I hadn't asked, "I don't like Will. I like someone else."

"Oh really," I said, leaning back against the booth, ready for another long story or explanation.

"Yeah. What am I supposed to do?" she asked leaning forward intently.

"Who am I? Big sister Anna advice column? How the hell should I know?"

"God…that's probably why he hasn't been taking any hints. I always thought it was just because he was too smart to notice…" She looked faraway for a second.

"To let true love remain unspoken is the quickest way to a heavy heart." I said.

She looked at me and raised her eyebrows. "Holy Hera, that is really deep…I wouldn't expect that to come from you, Warren."

I dulled my eyes at her, and tossed the fortune from the last cookie I'd cracked open onto the table at the same time Shu's angry voice came billowing out from the kitchen, asking me what the hell I was doing and how much of a 'bad boy' I was being.

I cocked my eyebrow across the place at her and barked back that she was the one who was the bad boy. Layla, who hadn't a clue what was being said, stared worriedly at me. I looked at her and said, "See ya 'round, Hippie." Then I got up and went back toward the kitchen, somewhat relieved to get away.

When I pushed the door back into the kitchen, Shu was right there. She hopped into the air and smacked me upside the head. I blinked down at her as she started to bark and rant and rave, "Nǐ dà, bèn, lǎn péngkè! Shǒuxiān, nǐ xiāo shī liǎo jìn sì shí fēnzhōng! Xiànzài, wǒ gǎn nǐ zuò xiàlái yǔ yīxiē nǚhái jījichāchā ma?" _You big, stupid, lazy punk! First you disappear for nearly forty minutes! Now I catch you sitting down and jabbering with some girl?_

I opened my mouth to speak but she interrupted me, "Nǐ dàodǐ zài nǎ ba? Wǒ zhīdào nǐ bù xī yān, méiyǒu rén xūyào sì shí fēnzhōng, chōu yān! Chúfēi nǐ qù bōlán yī zhěng bāo... Nǐ xī dàmá huò dōngxi? Yí?" _Where the hell have you been huh? I know you weren't smoking, no one takes forty minutes to smoke a cigarette! Unless you went off to polish of a whole pack...where you smoking pot or something? Huh?_

"Shū, lěngjìng xiàlái," I started. _Shu, calm down._

But I paused when she started to circle me, sniffing me at every angle she could. When she came back around to my front, she narrowed her dark eyes up at me. "Ma, nǐ bù wén... ... Dàn xià cì nǐ yào qǐfēi de shíjiān, zuò dào zhè yīdiǎn shí, wǒ yǒu chāoguò bǎi dà lúnbān. Zhè shì zhēn de máng jīn wǎn, nǐ shì bù fùzé de. Wǒ hěn shīwàng." _Well, you don't smell...But next time you're going to take off, do it when I have more than Bai Da on shift. It was really busy tonight and you weren't responsible. I'm disappointed._

I frowned down at her, well I was more so frowning at the mental image of the reason I'd disappeared. "Duìbùqǐ, Shū. Wǒ bù huì zài wǒ de zhuǎnbiànle." _I'm sorry, Shu. I won't take off during my shift anymore._

She cocked an eyebrow up at me, "Shì zhèngquè de. Nǐ míngmíng yǒu gèng zhòngyào de shìqíng, yǒu shí zuò. Jiù wǒ suǒ zhī, nǐ kěyǐ zuòle yīgè qūdòngqì, chénmí zhōng de nǚ zhǔjiǎo, xiáncài jué huò níng duì yīgè lèsè xiāng. Nánhái jiāng nánhái." _Yeah right. You obviously have more important things to do sometimes. For all I know, you could've done a drive by, indulged in heroine, munched on pickles or screwed against a dumpster. Boys will be boys._

She turned and went around the counter, "Wǒ sān gè xiǎoshí qǐfēi nǐ de xīnshuǐ zhǐshì ràng nǐ zhīdào!" _I'm taking three hours off your paycheck just so you know!_

I was about to protest, but I stopped. I wasn't going to get her to change her mind. And I deserved it I suppose. Sure, I wasn't happy that there would be thirty-six bucks missing from my payment envelope when Wednesday came around, but still. When Shu said she was going to cut your pay, she meant it. And again, I deserved it. Maybe it would teach me not to get so worked up in my thoughts about Stronghold that I would actually ditch work just to fuck him, and then fucking _kiss_ him…

"Wahhen! Nín de pìgu hòumiàn, bìng bāngzhù Zeke de cài! Wǒ xiǎng shíjiān jīn wǎn zài zhèlǐ! Wǒ bù huì zài cuòguò House!" Shu barked from where she was picking up the order sheets. _Get your ass back here and help Zeke with the dishes! I'd like to be out of here on time tonight! I am _not_ going to miss House again!_

I dulled my eyes and resisted the urge to look up at the ceiling and exhale in exasperation. No one liked having to help the on-shift dishwasher at the end of the night. But of course, the dishwasher looked up, having heard his name when Shu had spoken. Then he looked toward me as I came forward.

I stopped beside him and reached into one of the water bins. They were filled with filthy dishwater that most likely wasn't changed all night. I sighed quietly through my nose and picked up one of the water bins, surprising _Zeke_. I dumped it out in the sink and started filling it up with warm, soapy water.

After Shu's lecture, and my own private discipline, I managed to not growl when I spoke to _Zeke_ the Dishwasher, "Zhè kěnéng shì wèishéme nǐ shì rúcǐ de bèifèn, báichī. Tā de yìngpán, qīngjié de shuǐ, miàntiáo hé brocolli cài." _This is probably why you're so backed up, idiot. It's hard to clean dishes in water that's full of noodles and brocolli._

He looked up at me. He wasn't much shorter than me actually. Maybe about two inches shorter? He was also a bit skinnier and lankier than me. Up close he _really_ looked tired, stressed out and miserable. And I was surprised to find that, even though he was very obviously Asian, he had vibrant, emerald green eyes. Well at least as far as I could tell with his hair all in his face. He licked his dry lips and asked, "Huh?"

I paused and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I uh, I don't speak…well, I do a little, but not well…" He said.

I looked back to the sink and turned off the water. I reset the water bin and started rinsing dishes off beside him, prepping them for the dishwasher. "Dunno why Shu would ever hire someone who doesn't speak Mandarin."

He licked his lips again, "Isn't that kind of…discrimination?"

I cocked an eyebrow again as I pulled the handle down to close the dishwasher which started whirring and spraying blazing hot water inside of it. "It's easier to work with someone if she can yell at them, and they can understand her insults."

It took a short moment for him to smile. He seemed to have a little more spunk in his movements as he tried to keep up with me. "So uh, who else works here?"

I shrugged, "About thirty people I guess. Don't know. Don't care much either. At times I don't wanna know twenty-nine of them."

"Tīng shuō!" Lan called from where she was stacking the silverware she'd rolled on a shelf for tomorrow. _Heard that!_

"Āiyā, xiǎobiàn." I grunted, instantly aggravated by the persistence in her voice. _Ah, piss off. _I knew she was going to have a few things to say to me when she got the chance.

"I know that means 'piss off'." Zeke said quietly with a meek smile.

"What do you want, a cookie?" I growled.

"Hey dude, I get it, I'm sorry. I saw the boss chewing you out and I know you don't feel like helping me. So I'm not gonna take that personally." Zeke the Dishwasher said, flipping his hair out of his face briefly before it shifted back over his eye again. "Almost done anyways, you don't have to help me anymore."

It was true. With my help, the newbie had finally managed to wash and stack nine tenths of what had been here. All he had to do now was wash a couple of woks and hang them up. So I left his station without a word and took off my apron. I dropped it in the laundry basket as Shu came back into the kitchen with a pen in her mouth and her papers neatly placed into her metal binder. "Tíxǐng wǒ jiàng zài míngtiān de shùnxù. Jīngguò zuótiān hé jīntiān wǎnshàng, wǒmen hěn duǎn, yībàn zài zhège chéngshì li de rén dōu pàngle." _Remind me to put the order in tomorrow. After yesterday and tonight we're short and half the people in this city are fatter._

I smirked down at her and said, "Bùnéng." _Can't._

She took the pen out of her mouth, and asked, "Wèishéme dìyù méiyǒu?" _And why the hell not?_

"Míngtiān wǒ xiūxí yītiān." _Tomorrow's my day off._

She glanced at the schedule beside the door and laughed, "Goodnight, Wahhen." She backhanded me lightly in the arm and moved past me. Reassured that she wasn't really mad at me, and knowing that I was still going to be missing thirty six dollars from my pay, I put on my jacket and took down my hair.

Not two steps out the door, someone came after me. "Hey!"

I froze and groaned, "Oh leave me alone. My shift is over, Lan."

She came up beside me and smiled as she tied the cloth belt of her sweater around her waist. "Who uh, who was that redhead you were talking to?"

I cocked an eyebrow down at her, "Oh she's one of my hookers, I've recently taken up pimping."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up. C'mon, I heard her say you guys go to school together. You guys hang out a lot?"

I opened my mouth to shout her name in annoyance but someone beat me to it. "Lan!" Except it wasn't annoyance. We looked across the small parking lot and there was a guy standing there with silvery blonde hair that caught the lights. He smiled as she went running toward him,  
"Hey Dominic!" And she kissed him.

I cocked an eyebrow, _Okay…Thought the boyfriend was Richard and the asshole ex was Dominic…? _I shook my head and climbed onto my motorcycle.

"Dude, nice bike."

I pulled on my helmet, ignoring the happy couple.

"Dom, this is Warren. Warren this is Dom."

The ex who now seemed to be the boyfriend held his hand toward me. I didn't take it. My voice was muffled a little because of my helmet, but I was sure he heard me say, "Lan's talked so much smack about you."

"Warren!" Lan cried out. Then she looked to her ex-to-boyfriend, "Don't listen to him. That was only when we were fighting and I was just mad."

"Heyyy, don't worry about it,"

I brought my bike to life and gunned it right out of the parking lot, leaving Lan and her boyfriend coughing in the smoke I'd made with the friction between the blacktop and the hind wheel in my attempt to get out of there as fast as I could. _Damn…I could use a fucking cigarette…_

So once I was about ten blocks away, I pulled my bike off to the side of the street and just inside an alleyway. I left my bike running as I got off, hanging my helmet from one handlebar, thinking it would be a quick stop, and leaned up against a building. I reached into the inside pocket of my leather jacket where I kept the cigarette pack that the chick I'd gotten stabbed saving had given me.

Once I had it in my hands and I was about to peel open the shrink wrap, I stopped. And I just stared down at the pack. I stared at it for a very long time, listening to my breathing and the rumbling of my bike motor as it leaned on the kickstand in front of me. Then I sighed and leaned my head back, looking up into the night sky. _I've already given in once tonight…_

_So would it matter if I did it again? _

I looked back down at the pack and sighed again, starting to twirl it around in my fingers. I reached up and rubbed at my eyes with one hand. I thought briefly that this internal battle would take a while and I should turn off my bike, but I left it running, thinking that I might just throw the pack to the ground and take off.

But then again I thought of just ripping it open, taking out a cig, lighting it with a flame from my thumb, and inhaling deeply. Feeling what I missed so much. The nicotine and the slight, familiar burn that didn't hurt me. The absence of that, despite the trips to Lan's Aunt Yun Ting, made me feel like I was dying. Sure it was free, but I wasn't exactly fond of being stuck in a room with Lan yapping her jaw off and refusing to leave me the hell alone while I was having a bunch of little needles shoved into my nerve endings.

The nerves in my thumb throbbed, as if I was going to light one up. Every other moment, I actually was going to. But then I would stop myself. Growl at myself. Run a hand down my face in deprived annoyance.

_I hate being addicted to this…I hate being addicted to anything…Like you, Stronghold…_

"Jeez! Oh, hey dude! Christ, you scared the hell outta me."

I looked toward the sidewalk, and there was Zeke on a skateboard. He had a red and black striped hoodie on and a smile. His smile faded when he saw the pack I was animatingly twirling in between my fingers. "What's that? Cigs?"

I wanted to tell him to piss off, to get lost. But instead, I nodded silently, looking down at the pack in my hands. Zeke the Dishwasher seemed to have caught me at a bit of a vulnerable moment. A moment in which I was trying to distinguish the similarities between my addiction to the cigarettes, or the possible addiction to little Stronghold. A moment in which I just wanted to shove it all from my head by any means necessary.

"You tryin' to quit?"

I silently nodded again, not looking at him. He stepped on the end of his skateboard and it jumped up into his hand. "Don't feel guilty, man, it takes a lot to quit. My stepdad had the same problem. He was on the patch, chewed the gum, even got acupuncture, but it was still really hard."

He waited for a response. When he didn't get one, he came closer until he stood beside me. "You know, it helped him when he would hold something, like a pencil or something, in between his fingers while he sat around. You know, just the feeling of having something there. And he did get better."

He paused, waiting for me to say something, or meet his eyes. "I'm not sure if that was before or after he started getting blowjobs from random strangers."

I still didn't meet his eyes or say anything. He chuckled, "Dude, you look like you're ready kill something. Say something. Do something. You're gonna give yourself a hernia if you keep it all in. There's a vein popping out of your neck. Blink twice if you're suffocating. Something."

I just kept staring down at the pack which had still in my hands. I stood there leaned up against the building, staring at the brand logo. I heard Zeke the dishwasher sigh quietly. Then he said quietly, "Dude, let me help you…you know like, take your mind off it."

That was when I looked to him, eyebrows lowered slightly. He mistook my look for questioning. He crossed to stand in front of me, and started to crouch down. "That chick Lan has a pretty big mouth." He explained. He put down his skateboard and took hold of my belt.

He pulled it easily loose, undid the button on my jeans and dragged down the zipper with little effort. He freed my dick from my jeans and in one fucking swipe took all of me right into his mouth.

My abs clenched slightly as I stared down at him. I know for a fact that I'm above average below the waist, but this guy deep throated me like it was nothing. And as he dragged his lips back up to the head, he swirled his tongue around it and sucked hard.

_Christ…_I thought. This pathetic excuse for a dishwasher was obviously in the wrong field of work. He fucking knew _exactly_ what he was doing. And no older than fifteen or sixteen.

I figured that Stronghold would have no clue where to begin in this situation. _Shut up…Get out of my head…_I growled in my head. I slipped my fingers into Zeke the Dishwasher's hair and tightly fisted it to keep me firmly planted in reality, causing him to grunt in pain. This wasn't Stronghold. This was some random newbie at work who just happened to be passing by and was currently 'taking my mind off' of things that were bothering me with a very thorough blowjob.

I told myself I should welcome this. I made very much sure to realize that those eyes that had just looked up at me were slanted, experienced and green. _Not_ big, innocent and blue. The hair was long, straightened and extremely blonde. _Not_ slighty mussed and brown. That that tongue was confident and skillful. _Not_ shy and submissive.

Reassured of the reality, I allowed myself to close my eyes and leaned my head back against the bricks of the side of the building. The only noise coming from me was my steady breathing. Zeke the Dishwasher on the other hand deep throated me again and hummed, bringing a pleasurable shiver up my spine.

I fisted his hair and pulled _hard_. Even his small cry of pain was different. Deeper… Unresponsive…Not arousing…

And in he came into my head. I found myself imaging those blue eyes looking up at me, afraid, and silently asking me what to do. The brown hair gripped tightly in my big fists. The timid tongue slow, drawing out the pleasure as long as possible, without meaning to of course. And the small, whimpering, wonderful, _very_ arousing cries of pain. I clenched my teeth, and kept my lips sealed as I groaned in my throat when I came.

Zeke the Dishwasher's throat swallowed every bit of the load and sat back on his heels, brushing the back of his hand across his mouth, and licking what came away.

I let out a long exhale, reached down and tucked myself back into my jeans. As I was doing up my belt he chuckled, "Guess I did a good job. You dropped the pack." I looked down at him when he held it up, smiling. I dulled my eyes down at him. _Goddamned…only halfway a good job, dumbass. Stronghold's still in my head._

I swiped the pack from his hand and tucked it into the inside pocket of my jacket. And wordlessly I went around him and got onto my bike. As I pulled on my helmet he got to his feet, "Wow, way to thank me. That was probably the best bj of your life." As I clipped the strap, and started backing my bike up.

"Then again, maybe not. 'Cause you _did_ call me Will." He said thoughtfully, brushing his emoflip out of his eyes. I paused and looked at him from behind the dark shade of my helmet. Then I shook my head, "Piss off." And I gunned the motor and took off down the road, hearing him yell after me.

"Don't you mean xiǎobiàn?"


	16. Good Friday

**Well, I will admit it's...shorter...than the last one. At least it's not a month later XDD And I wrote this up when I should have been working on a presentation due for my Government class on Monday! Tsk tsk tsk on me. But in all truthness, I was also reading Flatliners fiction, and listening to music, and stuffing tissues up my sad, sickly nostrils. I could be sleeping in a benadryl induced coma, but nope, I denied myself taking the meds so I could stay awake and finish.**

**...I hadn't planned on it being so short...but when I got to the part where I ended it, I just started giggling maniacally, thinking how mad and irritated all of you would get if I just cut RIGHT THERE. Mehehe. Just goes to show that Fridays are pretty good.**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

The first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was feel the _massive_ ache in my backside, and the throbbing bruises and burns all over me. After I had wincingly dragged myself from my bed and hurried into the bathroom to take a shower, I'd paused at the mirror.

Not to look at the extent of the damage that had been spread over my skin like wildfire, literally. Not to press my hand against the darkest mark and revel in the pain he left behind. But to touch my lips.

He'd…He'd kissed me.

_Kissed_ me.

Kissed _me_.

_Kissed_!

My _first_ kiss.

I thought about every other time he had thrown me to the bed, every other time he had marred my flesh, every other time he'd fucking me into motionlessness, every other time he'd left me there shaking and shuddering, unable to move.

Never once had he kissed me. Ever. He'd never let it get…_intimate_. But last night, with obvious effort, confusion and hesitance, he'd let go of whatever rules he'd made for himself. He'd touched my face, combed his fingers through my hair, _kissed_ me. _Comforted_ me.

And that brought a rise in me that I've never felt before. Warmth had gathered in my belly and an uplifting feeling took hold in my chest. And I had smiled.

Mom had taken notice to it as well. Not by way of the bruises and burns scouring nearly my entire body of course, I'd made sure I was well covered and the evidence of last night was well concealed.

She seemed to be in a bright, sunny mood herself. When I came down into the kitchen, she was making strawberry waffles, whistling _Jessie's Girl_. I showed up beside her to sniff her creations, she paused and I filled in her pause with the chorus part of the song in whistling.

She smiled down at me and asked, "Feel like waffles?"

I smiled brightly and said, "Yes, Ma'am I am indeed!"

She laughed as she handed me a plate to fill, "You're in a good mood this morning." I picked up a strip of bacon and crunched it, "Funny. I was gonna say the same thing about you." She smiled, averting her gaze, giggling and blushing. And cue the entrance of my Dad who seemed to be whistling _Oops, I Did It Again_ while adjusting his tie…which was a little weird…

But nevertheless he gave her a kiss, and all three of us sat down to a delicious breakfast which in turn almost made me a little late to catch the bus. Not that I really minded. I was in a wonderful mood.

* * *

"Hey Layla! Mornin'!" I called as I made it to the bus stop, out of breath but still smiling.

She looked blankly at me.

I glanced around, wondering what was in her stare. Then she lifted her hand, and nestled in her palm was one of those fortune cookies. She held it out to me. I smiled, "Oh, thanks." Then I took it and bit it in half, then reached to slip the fortune from between my lips.

I read: "_Your loyalties are clear when it comes to friends_." I looked back up at her and smiled. But my smile just about fell off my face. "Oh god…" _Shit…_

"God, Layla, I am _SO_ sorry! First I made a deal with my mom that I'd finish my homework so I was already running late. Then Mom's roast caught on fire and there was water from the sprinklers and then mom was crying and dad took her out to dinner soaking wet instead and I cleaned up and then at the door…uh, I guess by the time I…_finished_, god, I'm sorry Layla! I totally…spaced."

It had all come pouring out of my mouth so fast that I'd almost mentioned that Warren Peace had shown up on my doorstep. And my words were as close to the truth as they possibly could be, it's just that Layla didn't see the hidden meanings.

I looked into her eyes. And I was relieved that her soft brown eyes were still soft, and not glaring at me. "I believe you." She said. Then she laughed, "The roast caught on fire? Your poor mom."

I instantly picked my smile back up off of the ground where it had fallen. "Yeah. I felt so bad when she'd started crying. Thank god for dad. Scooped her right off the floor and said that they were gonna go to that new Greek restaurant all soaking wet like they owned the place."

She smiled warmly, and turned her head to meet the approaching bus with her eyes. "Well, I _guess_ I could forgive you."

"You _guess_? Aw, come on!" I cried out dramatically as the bus stopped. And Ron Wilson, bus driver, opened the door for us and greeted us with a nod and a "Morning!"

We sat down near the middle where Ethan, Zack and Magenta were already sitting. Zack lifted his head from where it had been settled against his backpack when I sat down next to him. "Oh, hey guys." He yawned. "Hey." Me and Layla greeted as she sat down next to Ethan, which left Magenta as the oddball of the morning. She didn't seem to mind though since she merely turned her head slightly to keep an ear on the possible conversation.

"You look beat." I commented.

Zack nodded, "Yeah. Family movie night turned into a Rocky Balboa marathon…" He yawned again and I chuckled. He nodded again, "Not kidding either. So by the time we finished up, it was late, and we were all tired as hell. To make matters worse, when I got up to go to bed, the zipper of my pants attached itself to my sister's forehead."

My eyes widened. Layla, and Ethan turned to face Zack. I heard Magenta snort from her seat in front of us. Zack's pale skin blushed a deep red, "It's not funny, Magenta. It was…traumatizing." He set his chin down against his backpack again. He looked at me and paused. I wasn't sure if he was changing the subject or if my mood was really that noticeable.

"Well, you look like you're having a really good Friday." He said.

Layla nodded, "Yeah, I noticed that too."

Ethan nodded around Layla, "Me too."

Magenta turned around and fixed her dark eyes upon me.

Layla laughed, "You look like you're about ready to sing like a Disney bird."

"Yeah, you look like you're glowing, like one of those pregnant ladies." Zack said.

Ethan said, "Well, I'm not saying you're pregnant, because that's physically impossible, but I will admit that you do have a sort of glow to you today."

"Did something go on this morning? You _were_ a little late getting to the bus stop." Layla said.

I fidgeted, but not because of all the speculations and questions. "Magenta, _enough_ with the gaze of a thousand eyes. You're freaking me out."

They all looked to Magenta who cocked at eyebrow at me. Good god, every time she placed those dark brown orbs on me, I felt like she was peeling away the wallpapers of my mind, finding out what was lying beneath them. Seeing into my thoughts and my deepest secrets. My masochism, the cutting, the submission to a certain pyro, the pain I was experiencing in my behind as I sat, the taking of my virginity and the night of my first kiss…

"Seriously guys. I'm just in a good mood. Sometimes you wake up like that. And then your mom makes waffles drizzled in strawberries and fresh maple syrup." I said in my defense.

Zack groaned, "That sounds amazing…"

"See?"

Layla smiled, "Waffles _are_ pretty amazing."

Ethan nodded, "I concur."

"Plus it's Friday." I added, now feeling confident and mighty in my excuses. _I'm in a wonderful mood, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I had my first kiss last night with Warren Peace!_

* * *

He was on my mind for the entire day. And I hadn't seen him anywhere except inside my head. I was having a little trouble paying attention in my classes. And I ended up having to stay after in Super History so I could quickly take the notes I hadn't taken while the teacher had been writing them seeing as I was spaced out. That was why I was hurrying to my locker when the next bell rang, which meant I was late for my last class of the day. The hallways cleared as I put in the combination and pulled open my locker.

I hurriedly switched out books, mumbling about how late I was. I looked down into my bag, trying to find my teleportation beam schematics notes from Mad Science so I could put them in my locker. "Where the hell?" I whispered.

I jumped, dropping my bag to the floor when my locker slammed closed. The culprit was a big hand sheathed in a leather, fingerless glove. My heart jumped into my throat and I turned to look up at him.

His jaw was firmly clenched, his eyebrows were furrowed and his glare was hard, and demanding. I stared back at him in bewilderment. Of course I was a little wary, bracing myself to accept any pain he'd give to me. I figured he'd shove me into my locker or something. But I wasn't sure. This was the first time in _weeks_ that he had approached me in school. So I wasn't sure what to expect. I was sort of expecting him to punch me or something while I was happily drowning in his scent of leather and spicy fire. But that didn't happen, and I sure as hell was _not_ expecting what he _did_ do.

His hand clenched into a fist up against my locker and he let out a long breath through his nostrils. Releasing myself from his glare, I studied his face. He looked even more tired than Zack had this morning. He looked like he'd probably been up all night. His lips parted and he bared his grinding teeth.

He reached with his left hand and grabbed the back of my hair. He hauled me in close to him and savagely captured my lips. My eyes jumped wide open but shut quickly with a throaty moan. His mouth was rough on mine, nothing like the placid, hesitant kiss from the previous night. It was harsh, demanding. But it was incredibly…_pleasant_.

I gasped and whimpered in my throat when he sunk his teeth into my lower lip so hard I actually felt blood well up against his bite. His fingers tightened their grip on my hair and made me grunt and cry out quietly when he yanked my head back, _hard_. I heard his breath hiss against my neck where he ran his blazing hot tongue up my jugular vein.

I shuddered in his grasp. _Oh god…_

Then he lifted his head and pulled my bleeding lip into his mouth and ferociously sucked on it. I audibly shuddered again and a shiver went right down between my legs. He grazed his teeth against the bite, and pulled on my lip before letting go.

"What the _hell_ are you doing to me, Stronghold?" He growled.

I pulled open my eyes as much as I could and looked up at him, breathlessly panting. He looked so dangerous and angry. Like when I'd had that fight with him in the cafeteria, and I'd mentioned his father. Actually, his eyes weren't nearly as hate-filled as they had been when I had apologized that my dad had tossed his in jail. They were dark and loathing, but there was a glimmer of confusion, that was most likely somehow my fault as well.

I didn't really understand his question at first. He had to wrap his right arm around my shoulder blades and grip my left arm and hair really hard for me to begin to piece together his meaning. And sparks flew across my eyes when he crushed his lips over mine again. What was it that I was doing to him I wondered for a moment.

And the questioning was chased from my mind when he forced my mouth open and grazed his searing tongue against mine. Oh god, he tasted so…he tasted…god I didn't even know, and if I did I wouldn't be able to comprehend. I had no idea what he'd been eating or drinking, or possibly what kind of toothpaste he used, but it was glorious. Whatever it was mixed fantastically with the heat of his tongue.

"Warren, I," I tried to say when he let me breath for a moment.

"Why are you doing this to me?" He hissed.

"I…I'm sorry. I d-don't know what you," and I was interrupted by his mouth drawing my tongue in, and sucking thoroughly on it.

Hell, I was getting _dizzy_.

"I hate you." He growled. I wasn't sure if he was talking to _me_ anymore.

I realized that my hands were tightly fisted in the front of his t-shirt. His arm hooked around me was so warm. My fingers were warmed through to the bone against his heart that I could feel against his chest. It didn't feel like a regular heartbeat against my hands, it felt more like the waving of flames in a fire.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, not sure if it was the right thing to say or not. Hell, I wasn't even completely sure I had even spoken.

Standing there in the heat of his strong arms, I wanted him so badly. I'd just about forgotten that we were right in the middle of a hallway in school where anyone could see us. And I don't think I would have minded very much if he'd yanked my jeans off and just screwed me up against my locker. In fact I think I would have been perfectly content.

But that didn't seem to be entirely what he had in mind. He was probably more aware of our surroundings. Because before I knew it, he shoved me into the nearest bathroom, and locked the door. The same door to which he slammed me up against. It drove the breath out of my lungs, and just as I drew in a gasp, his heated lips crushed back down onto mine.

I could feel one of his hands drift down my chest until it found my jeans. And goosebumps jumped from my skin as he kissed me until I was dizzy. He was actually gonna do it…well, me, right here!

And how did I feel about that? Eager, desperate, aching, excited, vulnerable, scared…but not scared about the location and the possibility of being caught.

His long, warm fingers slipped into the waistband of my boxers and my loosened jeans. I could feel his knuckles stroke back and forth across my skin. He dragged my bitten lip through his teeth, driving a gasping cry from my lungs. He ran his tongue across a patch of skin on the side of my neck and grazed his teeth across my nape.

His fingers hooked in the waistband of my boxers and started pushing them, and my jeans along with them down. He brushed his tongue against the nook in the middle of my collarbone and then with my jeans and boxers in his clutches…sunk down to his knees?


	17. Happy Friday

**Dudes...it's past 11pm. I'm tired as fuck. I stayed up to finish this chapter for yallz. And my dinner consisted of Mountain Dew Bread and a poptart! BE HAPPY! IT'S A HAPPY FRIDAY AFTER ALL! **

**I know I was a bitch and left you hanging in the last chapter but I couldn't help myself. I received verious amounts of hate mail that demanded another update ASAP or the consequences would be severe. Well you whined, you moaned and you even cried and you got what you wanted. It's kinda funny cuz if I had a temper tantrum as a kid, I wouldn't get what I wanted this easily. Then again, I don't think I was a tantrum throwing child. I was too busy stuffing my imaginary friends into drawers to hide them from my parents and digging to China in my sandbox.**

**Haha, until I hit the bottom of the sandbox that is... XDDD**

**Well goodnight everyone. My eyes are sore. Undone homework and studying. I gotta get some sleep. Night Night! Please do enjoy the update and allow me forgiveness for the previous cliffhanger...but I still say it was funny...**

**Oh PS, I actually do have a teacher in my school who runs around at the end of the day singing Happy Friday. He's the best teacher ever. It was really hard for me to make Magenta say he was annoying. I call him Uncle Yo. But he's formally known as Mr. Gould...the leader of the Gouldocracy. Shoulda been in Honors...DEAL WITH IT!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

"W-Warren?" I started in confusion. But then I drew in a gasp so quick that all of my muscles tensed and protested against my expanding lungs. And I nearly doubled over too.

All because he had just engulfed my penis entirely in his _mouth_!

Oh god, his _mouth_… It was wet and so _hot_. I'd never felt anything like it in my entire life. His blazing tongue lapped at the vein underneath, and the roof of his mouth massaged roughly against the head.

I couldn't stop the noises I was making. If I wasn't so distracted, I would have been embarrassed by all of the breathy whimpers. And my head wouldn't stop lolling. First down to look at him, then to the left, the right, upward, diagonal, and down to look at him again.

His eyes were closed, and his mouth pulled and sucked on me. My abs were clenching so tightly and I wanted nothing more than to just touch his long, beautiful hair. But I was afraid to. Afraid that he would be angry with me, that he would stop. I mean, I was already breathing his name every couple of breaths, so that most likely was already annoying him. My hands tried clawing back at the door. _His_ hands, on the other hand, had firmly grabbed a hold of my hips in a hard, bruising grip, finally lighting up my pain receptors.

It made me toss my head back and groan; and then cry out when his hands grew hot and flaming against my naked skin.

He kept me pressed considerably hard against the door. I did my best to keep my hips steady, fighting back the urge to thrust into his mouth. I wasn't sure what his initial reaction might be, but I knew that with my strength, I might very well knock him backwards, or worse, knock him right _out_.

But I couldn't resist the urge to not touch him any longer. Especially when his right hand slide across my left buttock, and his fingers started tracing the crevice of my behind.

I gasped, moaned and then shuddered out, "Nnh W-Warren, _please_." My hands slipped into his hair. And fuck, the dark strands were so soft in between my fingers. My head lolled down against my chest as I ran the red streak in his hair between my index and middle finger. I threw it back again with a grunt as his tongue swirled amazingly around the base and dragged back up to the head. My fingers slid through his hair until my hands were cupping the back of his head.

"Oh my God, please Warren!" I choked out, squeezing my eyes shut when I felt two of his fingers press firmly inside of me, directly grazing that spot within in me that nearly made me go blind with ecstasy. My shoulder blades ground back against the door. His fingers started pressing in and out inside of me. His other hand clenched harder against my right hip, lighting up a blazing fire of pain.

Good god, I couldn't take it much longer. I started babbling, trying to warn him, "Warren, god. W-Warren, I'm, hah, Warren," I was afraid that he might be angry with me if I came in his _mouth_.

But he didn't seem to mind. In fact he seemed _enthusiastic_ when I suddenly jerked in his grip, and let loose in his mouth with a cry. He sucked on me more gently, drinking in my pleasure. I was panting as if I had just run around the world twice. My head lolled against my chest as my head started to clear.

_Wait a second, hold on…_

He wasn't stopping… His thrusting fingers that had slowed were starting to gain speed and force again. His gentle drinking reverted back to long, hard draws, sucking on me, swirling his hot tongue harder around me. His hand lit up with fire again and started to stroke up and down the inside of my thighs.

I ground my teeth, pressing the back of my head against the door and let out a grinding, muffled scream. My body was already recovering from my last orgasm, and was preparing for another. I'd learned to understand what my dad had meant by my increased endurance ability. This was because I'd spent several nights waking up from intensely erotic dreams that would leave me hard, throbbing and aching. I recall one night I came six times in under half an hour all because I couldn't sleep without his image entering my head.

However, I didn't think he knew about that. The endurance I mean…

Tears welled in the corners of my eyes, and my hands trembled against the back of his head; fingers practically massaging his scalp as his head moved back and forth.

As his fingers pulled outward, another thrust its way into my insides. His teasing left hand lifted from the burns on the inside of my right thigh and only his white hot fingertips trailed up the back of my left thigh. His tongue drew me further in, lapping, sucking and grazing his teeth against my erection all at the same time.

_He's…never done this to me before…_My cloudy mind acknowledged. And I had thought that Warren kissing me had been sporadic and intimate. I was a freshman boy in high school… so I knew exactly what a blow job was. And this was so much more than I'd heard, seen via online access and had never experienced.

And it was _Warren Peace_ that was doing it.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I think the last time I gave someone a blow job was about eight, maybe nine months ago. I didn't do this often. Sure I'd gone down on a girl plenty of times, never twice, not counting Lan of course. But I'd done this about four times before for guys, and also never the same one twice. But I'd done it enough to know what I was doing. And I was fairly positive that no one had ever done it for Stronghold.

So why was I the first?

I knew I was going to be asking myself all kinds of questions to the suchlike later. But right now I didn't worry about later. All I was thinking about was _now_. What I was doing _now_. What I wanted _now_.

I wanted Stronghold to hang onto me for dear life. I wanted him to come for me again, this time screaming my name. I wanted to taste him falling hard over the edge again with his surprisingly well-endowed manhood in my mouth. I wanted to kiss him again, to feel his timid, quivering lips against mine again.

And I started to get what I wanted.

His hands fisted in my hair and he started trembling and whimpering. I pressed my fingers harder into him, and grasped the inside of his thigh in a fiery claw. I heard him let out a moan and felt his shivers. So I grazed my tongue back and forth on the underside of his penis and sucked harder than before. Admittedly I did gag the next attempt I made to deep throat him. No one could blame me for that though. He was a bit over seven inches, about an inch shorter than me, and I sure as hell was no Zeke the Dishwasher.

I heard him muttering quietly. He got louder, his thigh muscle clenching hard and his hands fisting tighter in my hair. I didn't understand his pleasure-hazy stammering. But I swear to god, every vein inside of me throbbed with an inferno when he came again, screaming and choking at the same time, "Warren!" To top it off, it had driven me a hundred miles over the edge. I had hardly felt the aching erection straining against the thin material of my boxers and the roughness of my jeans.

A warmth settled in my stomach as I finally freed him from the entrapment of my lips and hung my head. He panted erratically above me, nearly collapsed against the door. There was a calmness and a rhythm to my own breathing. A resignation.

I brushed the back of my hand across my mouth. Then I stood, as I did I pulled his clothes back up from the floor. I tucked him gently back into his boxers and did up his jeans, all the while, studying him intently.

His eyes were closed. His eyebrows were arched upward. His lips were parting, letting his breath in and out.

I let my hands glide up from his waist and gently up his chest. He made a small sound when he next breathed out, much like a sigh. I leaned down slightly as my hands slipped under his arms. I held one hand to the back of his head and tilted it upward. The other I wrapped around his shoulder blades, drawing him closer.

His eyes fluttered open and I stared down into those bright blues. They were soft, a little tired and amazed. I slowly tilted my head and leaned closer. And I covered his quivering lips with mine with a gentleness that surprised _me_. I heard him moan shortly in his throat. And then his arms encircled my neck and he held onto me as if I were the only steady structure to keep him from falling down, down, down.

I brushed my tongue warmly and gently over the bite on his lower lip. And I felt his breath shudder against my face. It was something to behold I realized. I didn't understand why I was doing this. Why I had let it get like this. Why it had developed this way inside of me. But I wasn't worrying about it now.

All I was worrying about this moment was how temporary this moment in time was. Someone was eventually going to try to open the bathroom door. Someone was eventually going to notice that he was missing, and be worried about him. Sure, people would notice I was missing from class, but they would most likely be relieved. And to top that off, the school day was almost over and the buses would be waiting to fly all the Sky High students home. I wasn't going to be able to keep him here for much longer.

Fuck, I wanted to.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Let me," he breathed when our lips were parted. And back came his lips angled wonderfully across mine. He nipped lightly at my top lip and ran his tongue across it. If I wasn't holding onto him so tightly, I would've probably melted down in between the cracks in the linoleum on the bathroom floor.

"Let me," he murmured. "take you home." He sucked gently on my lower lip, drawing a sigh from me. "To my place. Let me," He pulled away slightly, tilting his head the other way. His dark eyes were nearly closed looking down at me. I was entirely engulfed in his scent. His glorious scent. I must've looked like a wide-eyed innocent little puppy to him.

_To his place…?_

My heart beat harder against my ribs and he captured my lips again. I'd never been this close to him before. His long hair wisped across either side of my face and I caught the scent of it. On top of his natural musk of spicy fire and the leather of his jacket, his hair smelled like wood smoke. Like a campfire on a campsite up in the Adirondacks that is still burning in the sprinkling rain that's falling down from the pine trees.

I drew in a full breath when he pulled away, glancing upward as the bell went off to signal the end of the period; the end of the day. He looked back down at me. His eyes became aware and serious and picked my arms from around his neck. He nudged me aside, unlocked the door and left without a word.

I stood there in bewilderment, panting a little bit. I looked down the floor and brushed my hair back in amazement. _Warren Peace…in the boy's room…just gave me a _blow job_ and…I came _twice_…_

The door swung open and knocked into me. "Oof." Came my grunt.

"Oh, sorry, gotta go! Oh hey Will!"

It was my big, neon blonde haired giant of a friend. He scampered clumsily over to a urinal with his backpack over his shoulders. "Hi, Zack."

"You had to make a quick trip in here too?" Zack said as he stood in front of a urinal.

"Uh…yeah…" I said. I realized that my fingers were touching my lips which were still warm and tingly from Warren's kisses.

"You alright, man?" Zack asked, looking over his shoulder at me.

I looked at him. His head was tilted a little and his expression was swimming with his naïve curiosity under his white visor. And then my eyes fell onto his backpack. "Yeah, just remembered that I left my bag next to my locker. See you on the bus!"

I exited the bathroom and hurried down the hallway to my locker. My bag was still on the floor where I'd dropped it earlier, but it had been kicked around a little bit in all of the commotion of everyone hurrying to get out of school ASAP. I crouched down and picked it up, wiping the shoe marks off of it. Then I sat on the bench in front of my locker.

I glanced around me, hardly understanding the fact that the world had still been turning while he and I had been locked up in the bathroom. How could anybody else have been alive during that span of glorious time? My mind may have been cloudy with the pleasure, but my body had never felt more alive. I felt as if that great force of feeling should have stolen the lives of everyone within a mile temporarily. And then everything would have started again where we had left the world.

But nope. Here were a bunch of students whose lives had continued on despite what had gone on in the boy's bathroom in the west hallway.

And here came a nasty wake-up call that life had indeed gone on. Principal Powers was walking down the middle of the hallway wearing one of her potent suits and a pair of her commanding high heels that clicked as she walked despite the noise. She walked along, throwing stern looks at any misbehavior which was hurriedly corrected. She was coming down the hallway toward me.

_The teacher must've emailed her that I wasn't at class…shit…_

Here she came. I got to my feet sheepishly, preparing for a big chewing out and a slip that said I would have to stay after for detention. _Damn, damn, DAMN! _Staying late would mean that I would probably miss whatever Warren seemed to be planning. I didn't quite understand if that meant he wanted me to ride his bus. _Most likely not._

Or if he was going to show up at my house on his motorcycle and motion for me to get on. _In broad daylight? Probably not. Even when he shows up at my house, he always seems to just ghost around and never be seen. Layla's certainly never seen him…how does he even do it?_

Closer and closer Principle Powers got. She casually tossed her hair from her face as she got nearer. And then her eyes fell on me as she came yet nearer. _Here it comes…here she comes…and…there she goes?_

She gave me a placid smile as she passed, "Have a good weekend Mr. Stronghold." And she kept going. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. I stammered, "Uh, um, you…you too, Principle Powers!"

"Will!"

God, my body jumped in surprise so erratically that my knee bumped against the bench I'd been sitting on, and sent it sliding across the hallway. Right against the backs of several other Freshmen's' legs which in turn made them sit down forcefully with a cry of shock. Zack looked at what I'd done, and commented with a small, "Nice move." And then he said, "Dude, I have to talk to you. It's really serious stuff, man. Real secret too."

Something rose into my throat that felt suspiciously like my heart. He motioned, "We can talk about it on the walk. But I can't talk about it on the bus, man. Too many people listening."

"Uh…okay Zack." I said nervously and started walking with him. _Something secret? Something serious? The last time Zack talked seriously about something it was whether or not vanilla pudding tasted better than chocolate pudding…Good god, he knows. But how could he? Has he been talking to Magenta? But she couldn't know either! But then again she has those creeper eyes that peel away layers of my soul like a really ripe banana peel._

"Dude, you're not saying anything…Do you think she knows?" Zack asked.

"What? Knows what? Who knows? What?" _AH HELL NO!_

"Magenta!" Zack exclaimed, but covered his mouth with one of his hands and looked around as if he'd screamed a swear word and Principle Powers was gonna come down on him like a meteor shower, literally.

A shudder went down my spine and I swallowed to wet my suddenly dry throat. "Magenta seems to know everything…" I said quietly. "With that thousand eye stare thing she does…"

"Dude, if she knows, what if she thinks 'Oh he's so stupid and wrong and totally not cool'!" Zack asked, seemingly worried and desperate. I grabbed a hold of the railing as we walked down the steps of the school to regulate my balance.

I shook my head to clear it. I was being irrational in all of my assumptions. I really didn't have a clue what Zack was talking about. _No need to be jumping to conclusions…at least I hope not…_

"Zack. I need you to take in a deep breath, and let it out slow. Then go back to the beginning and _calmly_ tell me over again. You talk so fast, I can barely understand a thing you say." I said lightly and started descending the steps.

Zack looked at me for about two steps then he looked forward, closed his eyes and took in a deep, deep breath. He stumbled on the nest step and I grabbed his forearm to try and steady the big guy, "Whoa. Let's not play Humpty-Dumpty on a Friday."

He opened his eyes again and smiled at what I said. He definitely looked a little calmer. That didn't last long though. "Dude, I got it bad for Magenta!" He whispered loudly.

I probably shouldn't have, but I scoffed. "Are you kidding me?"

Zack raised his eyebrows at me, as if I had betrayed him.

I quickly tried to fix it, "No, I thought this was about something really bad. Like someone was gonna get injured or something. That's what this is about?"

Zack blushed and nodded, looking down at the ground as we walked across the campus toward Ron Wilson, bus driver's bus.

I smiled up at my big friend, "Zack, god bless you man."

"What? Why?" Zack asked, looking at me.

"Because Magenta frightens my testicles." I said bluntly.

Zack paused and I approached the bus door, letting him come to understand what I had just said. I went up the steps nodded at Ron Wilson, bus driver's "Afternoon, Will!"

Then I slipped into an empty seat just past the middle of the bus. I slid in so I could look out the window. I saw Zack still standing there, blankly. Then his face got red and he sprinted awkwardly to the bus. He nearly knocked over Acid Spit Guy as he shoved onto the bus. "Ow, watch it, Glowworm!"

"Dude! What is that supposed to mean? Am I out of the loop here?" Zack exclaimed as he came cavorting down the aisle of the bus. The bus shook as he plopped into my seat, nearly crushing me against the window. He tapped his palm against the seat in front of us, "Dude, I am so confused here!" Then he whispered in confusion, "Was that some kind of innuendo? 'Cause I dunno how I feel about you and Mag-"

"Zack!" I barked, shoving him away from me so I could breathe again. "_Calm_ down!" I brushed my hair back off my forehead, and it just fell back over it again. "God, I've never done, nor thought about doing _anything_ with Magenta. Besides, I already knew that you had a thing for her. I think everyone does."

"It's true." Larry suddenly said, leaning over the seat to look down at Zack.

Zack looked up at him, blushed and grumbled, "Don't need any more input, Stone Bag." Larry cocked an eyebrow behind his glasses and then shrugged, "Suit yourself. Just trying to help you, Glowstick."

"Boulder Brains."

"Firefly."

"Fruity Pebbles Cereal."

"Tinker Bell."

"Shut up, guys." I intervened.

Magenta came stomping onto the bus with her combat boots and sat down in the seat across from us and slid in to let Layla sit beside here. Ethan wasn't far behind them, but ended up being the oddball and had to sit in the seat behind us next to Larry.

Zack smiled and leaned forward to see Magenta, "Uh, hey Mag! How was your day?" Magenta slowly looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, it was a happy Friday after all." Layla snorted, "Excuse her wonderful mood. Somebody thought it would be funny to vandalize her locker."

"What?" Zack exclaimed. "Who was it Mag? You want me to take care of'em?"

Ethan adjusted his glasses and said, "I think Magenta did enough to take care of them." My eyes widened and I leaned forward to look at them. "Dear god, what did she do? And to who?"

Magenta then smirked. And it send a little raw gulp down my throat. It made me nervous to see her smile like that. I'd never seen her smile like that. And something told me it didn't come from anything good.

Layla sighed, "Since Dara, that's the Hero girl who can control temperatures, and her friends…_vandalized_ Magenta's locker," Magenta snorted, "It was hardly vandalism. She wrote 'Goth Freak' on my locker in lipstick." She scoffed, "Honestly…She'll find out what real vandalism is when she opens _her_ locker on Monday."

I sat back in my seat, not sure if I wanted to hear about it. I might get dragged into it as an accomplice or worse…like Dara might make my body so cold that icicles will drip out of my eye sockets.

Ethan leaned around the seat to look at Magenta, "I don't even know where or how you got a package of bacon, growth serum and a jar of fly maggots."

Magenta smirked again, "I'm an evil genius. That's all there is to it."

Layla licked her lips with a sigh, "You would make for an excellent Villain, Mag."

She glanced at Layla and said, "I would, wouldn't I?"

I shook my head, "_Any_way! Let's not involve me and turn me into accessory! I prefer not being in detention!" _Unless it's with Warren…_

Ethan nodded, "I suppose it'd be best if we did change the subject."

Layla smiled, "Well, it was an actual happy Friday for me! I got an A on the Working With Your Hero's Catchphrases quiz."

Zack slumped in his seat, "I got a D. And I'm having issues in my brains…so it's not a very happy Friday for me…"

Ethan shrugged, "I had a fair day. Lash and Speed haven't dunked my face into the toilet since you beat the tar out of them in Save the Citizen. So I'm having a happy Friday."

"My elementary school teacher used to sing a song kind of like the Happy Birthday song, but he turned it into Happy Friday…every Friday…it was kind of annoying. So I stomped on his toe." Magenta said as the buckles came over our chests and Ron Wilson, bus driver brought the bus into the air.

"Oh Magenta. You're so…" Layla started.

"Scary? I think we should start calling her Mandy." I finished for her.

Zack chuckled, "Dude, for once I actually know what you're talking about. My little sister watches that show. But I don't get why the Grim Reaper is Jamaican…"

"Cuz it's fun to say 'mon'." Magenta explained.

"Well I feel enlightened!" Zack chuckled, "Thanks Mag."

I couldn't help myself any longer. "Mag, what exactly did you do with the bacon, growth serum and the maggots?"

"I lined Dara's locker with the bacon, dumped the maggots in a puddle of the serum which'll quadruple their growth spurt, allow them to lay eggs in the bacon, which will make it rot and produce a terrible, foul stench. And when she opens her locker, out comes a flock of flies and rotten bacon filled with maggots will _drip_ from her locker."

I grimaced and sat back in my seat. "At least she'll have a happy Friday before she has an awful Monday…" _I'm having a pretty happy Friday so far…_

As we approached the landing ramp, Magenta started humming _Happy Birthday_.


	18. The Same But Not The Same

**Duuudes...I had to wee in a cup today... It was weird. I mean sure, when I was in the hospital, they made me piss in a cup for lab tests. But that cup had a cap! This one DIDN'T. I sweat to god it was like a measuring cup of piss with the triangle lip for pouring and everything! It was a drug test so I guess it was supposed to be weird. I had to hang up my hoodie, leave my cat backpack outside, and NOT flush the toilet. I came out of that tiny bathroom and said to the lady, "Girl, I'd like to think that NOBODY else in the world goes to the bathroom, and here you are dealing with like thirty wee cups a day!" **

**All this for a job as a cashier? Sheesh...and a seasonal job no less! I'll be working at Target...yeaaaah, wonderful life I know. But I need the money...Haha, I dunno if anyone here shops at Target...mehehe, you'll never know if I'm there or not...OMINOUSSSS! Ya'll be like "I wonder if Tawny works at this Target. O_O" You'll neeeever know! **

**Haha, I think it would be funny as hell if one of you guys _actually_ found me in real life XDD Either that or you'll meet some chick at the cash register in Target with the nametag Tawny and you'll be like "Dude! Do you write stories on FF about guys having sadomasochistic sex?" _THAT_ would be funny as hell!**

**Oh and I'm glad that most of you guys are also enjoying Ember In The Dark. I know that chapters are short in that story, but it's really just supposed to be a short one. Haha, it was a request after all. Love you my adoring readerzzzz!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I could hardly believe it. There he was. Out there on his motorcycle in broad daylight on the street in front of my house. The dark shade of his helmet was turned toward my front door. Waiting.

My hands shook violently as they scrawled in pen across the notepad that sat on the counter in the kitchen beside the coffee pot.

_Went to Zack's._

_Might spend the night._

_See ya! _

_Will_

I left the notepad in plain sight and left the kitchen. My chest was trembling and I couldn't believe the excitement rising up into my throat. I hurried out the front door and down the porch steps. It was only about 3 in the afternoon, so I knew that most of my neighbors weren't around. Especially Layla.

Magenta had gotten off at our bus stop to stay at Layla's house. About twenty minutes after we'd gone our separate ways into our houses, the two of them stopped by. And they had done their absolute best to convince me to go to an animal rights protest in the city that was going to take place outside of a major lab testing building. Well Layla had at least. Magenta had simply stood there, dark eyes boring into me.

And yet, I demonstrated my bettering skills of being a comfortable liar and convinced her how much I did care about those poor lab rats, but how the bonding between me and my parents was a little bit more important. I'd even furthered the importance of my argument when she still persisted. I had mentioned that Dad had said that he and I might go to the batting cages.

Layla knew that that was something he and I used to do a lot when we were younger so she understood the sentimental value. If it was going to happen. After I'd told that lie I had felt a little guilty and I promised myself that I would ask Dad if he wanted to go to the batting cages when I got the chance.

The entire argument I'd kept my attention thoroughly on Layla. I wasn't going to give Magenta a perfect view of my eyes so that she could use to see into my mind…

But the guilt left me as I climbed onto the back of his motorcycle. Something like confidence rose in me and I wrapped my arms snugly around his waist. He was so warm. His scent filled my nose as he lifted his bracing foot from the ground and did a U-turn. The sound of the motor gunning and taking off with a roar reminded me of the first time I'd ridden it.

The first night we'd spent together. God, that felt so long ago. I remembered how it felt the first time. That pain had been so remarkable. The fire from his hands grazing my skin had been so breathtaking. It had been the powerful freakin' orgasm in my life, and it had made me pass out for a few brief moments. Only to be brought back to consciousness when he followed after me, grunting quietly behind me.

I hadn't even begrudged him for leaving me there. I still didn't. It had brought me to where I was now. Sure I was so overwhelmed with it all, but it was becoming the best time of my life.

I watched the scenery go by for a while until I felt the motor slow down and he was turning his motorcycle up a driveway. I looked at his house. It wasn't anything I had expected. It was a dark red. The front door seemed to be on the side of the house. The front of the house had these brilliant windows with gray curtains lining either side, to block out the world if necessary.

He stopped his motorcycle in front of the garage that sat at the end of the driveway. The front door was to my right and lined with flowers. And there was a fence to my left. I felt this excitement take over me.

My hands shook as I removed my arms from around his waist reluctantly. He reached back and took my arm, helping me off of the back of his motorcycle. And he followed suit, dismounting by swinging a long leg over one side and settling his boot firmly on the ground. He walked toward the garage and pulled up the sliding door. I wrung my fingers together in silence as he came back toward his bike, undoing the strap to his helmet.

He pulled it off of his head, letting loose his long hair and revealing his dark eyes. One hand dug into his pocket and then he pulled out and tossed whatever it was to me. My reflexes picked up and I awkwardly caught keys in my hands. He tilted his head at the door. "Go on in." He said, his voice deep and curt.

"Okay." I said.

However, I remained motionless for a second as I watched him walk his bike into the garage. I managed to turn around and move toward the door after a moment. I tried the faded silver key and it fit perfectly into the lock. I gave it a turn and I heard the lock click, so I turned the door knob and pushed the door in.

I timidly stepped inside after casting a glance over my shoulder to see if Warren was coming. He wasn't yet. I left the door ajar and looked around. The entrance was a hallway. A hallway with a coat rack with a few pairs of shoes sitting beneath it. A little further down the hallway there was a really interesting metal shelf. I paused to look at it closely. The metal was all twisted and coiled on the underside, sticking out at many angles. On top of the shelf simply sat a polished plank of wood that held a few women's scarves and hats. But the metal frame was so…different from anything I had ever seen.

I heard a scoff behind me and jumped. Warren came had come up behind me, and now he was wrapping his arms around me. My body stilled, unfamiliar with this gesture from him, but loving it so much.

"Made that in metal shop, seventh grade." He said.

I looked over my shoulder up at him and then back at the metal frame of the shelf. "Were you angry?" I asked quietly.

I heard him make a noise like breathy laughter. "How did you guess?"

I shrugged, "Artistic instinct?"

I felt him shake his head, "You'd be surprised how many kinds of metal are welded into that hideous thing. Unbendable. But _you_ could probably do it." I shrugged lightly, looking up at him, "You'd be surprised. I've done some pretty stupid things since I powered up. I yanked the cord on the lawnmower so hard it came out, threw the thing into high gear and I ended up chasing it around the lawn."

Warren smirked that amused smirk down at me. The smirk didn't entirely reach his eyes as usual and he still seemed to tower over me in every way. He still had his stony gruffness to him. But…

_This is the most we…we have ever talked…_

And dear god, it felt so wonderful. I loved to hear the deepness of his voice as he spoke. The easy going tones. It was like the best song I'd ever heard in my life. And he seemed so calm and collected; accepting of what was happening.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I was nervous as hell. I had no clue what I was doing.

A brief tour of my house?

A few games of Call of Duty on my Xbox?

Sitting in front of the TV with a dinner I made with our bare feet up on the coffee table?

Talking?

_What the hell? _

I didn't do things like that with fucking anyone. I don't even think Lan has ever seen any other part of my house except the route from the front door to my bedroom. I didn't even spend that much time with my own mom.

And yet here I was, washing dishes, listening to him speak as he dried dishes that I handed him.

"So Layla always had all kinds of animals and pets at her place all the time growing up. She still does actually. But I think that's part of the reason that my mom never let me have a pet, because there were always pets over at Layla's next door. My mom never really was one for pets…" Stronghold explained.

I nodded quietly, lifting the last pan from the soapy water and handing it to him. I emptied out the dishpan and set it in the empty sink.

"Sure I was jealous that Layla got to have pets and I didn't…but you know." He said with a smile as he set the pan down on the drying rack. He looked up at me and his smile faded. I couldn't blame him. I was staring down at him with such intensity that I was surprised that he didn't catch on fire.

I shoved him hard against the wall and he grunted. One of my fists buried itself into his side and he gasped with a cry of pain. A shiver went through my blood when he looked up at me after another blow landed in his stomach, leaving him gasping for breath. The pain in his eyes was apparent, but there was a hunger. Hunger for more. As if he didn't get it, he might die.

His eyes shut tight and he grunted when he hit the floor in the living room where I'd tossed him. I reached down and grabbed his hair, dragging him back up to his feet, making him let out a whine of pain. I crushed my lips roughly down against his, taking away his breath. In his throat he desperately moaned, grabbing at my shirt.

I walked him backwards into the hallway, still gripping his hair and assaulting his mouth. He gasped when I bit his lip and dragged my teeth harshly across the soft, sensitive flesh of his lip. Then, by the hair, I thrust him up the stairs. At the top, I shoved him hard so his back found a wall again.

He whimpered, as my blazing hot fingers wormed under his shirt. He flinched under my touch. I attacked his mouth again, quieting our ragged breath. One of my hands found the crotch of his jeans and simply and slowly rubbed at it. I could feel him shiver and moan in his throat.

I was hard as hell and I wanted to fucking hear him scream.

None too gently I brought him into my room by the scruff of his neck. He landed roughly on his back on my bed. I lifted his shirt off of him, leaning down to harshly kiss him. I settled my hands against his sides, and fire rose from my palms, eliciting the most wonderful scream from Stronghold.

His body flinched but leaned into my flaming palms. He clenched his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut as I reached with a flameless hand to the button on his jeans. After pulling the zipper down, I practically yanked his jeans and his boxers off of him.

As they were tossed to the side, I felt Stronghold's hands against my chest. His ragged breathing filled my ears as he lifted my t-shirt. I obliged his intentions happily, adding the loss of my jeans and boxers to the process. And then I laid down upon him, gathering his lip into my mouth and biting it. My chest blazoned against his and he threw his head back and yelled out in agony. He squirmed beneath me, his muscles convulsed, undecided on escaping or getting closer.

I could feel burns appearing on his skin beneath me. His desperate screams and moans filled my ears. His hands held my back, keeping my fiery form on top of him. His erection was pressed right up against mine with such a rawness that I could hardly comprehend myself. Laced into his labored breathing he managed to breath into my ear, "_Please_…AH! Please Warren…F…_fuck_…me…"

Oh hell, I almost came right there with his pleading. But I held fast, and lifted myself up off of him. He quickly turned onto his hands and knees beneath me, pleading with me again, "Please…_please_ Warren…"

Fitting myself with a condom was no problem and neither was eliciting another scream from him. I ran a white hot, blazing hand up his spine as I started pressing my erect penis into him.

Filling him to the brim was simple enough. His hands fisted in my sheets and his head hung down and I mercilessly started to thrust back and forth into him. I dragged my flaming hands up and down his back until I was leaning down over him, wrapping one flaming arm around his stomach, making him flinch and scream against me. I wrapped the other unlit hand around his penis making him jump and cry out.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I had no idea how it could be better than any other time. He was doing nearly the same things. It was the same, but not the same. This time it was his bed I was pressed into. His home I was in. But something more had seemed to have changed.

Jerking me off with one hand, ravaging my skin with the other. Thrusting so hard inside of me that black spots danced across my vision and filled my insides with the scuttling little pleasure bugs making me gasp and scream at the same time. Goosebumps rose on my skin and I felt his fingertips press harshly into my hip, digging painfully into my flesh with his fiery clasp.

The force of a thunderous waterfall was crashing down onto me. I could hardly breathe. I could hardly see. All I could do was become lost in what I could feel and hear. Everything must've somehow heightened. My muscles were tensed so hard that I was trembling vigorously. I could feel his hot breath against my neck.

Dear god, I heard something rise up his throat as white hot pain dragged itself across my back like a whip. I heard him moan against my skin. He grabbed my hair and turned my head. His lips were so heated upon mine. His kiss burned my lips. His scorching tongue pressed into my mouth and danced with mine for a moment. I heard him gasp. I felt his teeth sink into my shoulder. I felt my body fall over the highest cliff in the world, leaving me screaming.

I groggily blinked, and groaned quietly. I was shaking and gasping. It took me a moment to realize that Warren had sent me into another paralyzed state. _And now he'll leave…_

I felt big hands wrap around my arms and turn me over. _Wait, this is his house…_

I was looking up into those dark eyes now. The red streak in his hair crossed his eye as he panted quietly. _Then he'll kick me out…_

His warm hands drifted up my arms until he was cupping my face. He leaned down, closing his eyes as he did. My own drifted closed and I felt his warm lips placidly press against mine. His tongue ran tenderly across the burn and bite on my lower lip. His head tilted the other way and his tongue brushed and massaged against mine. Warmth was taking over my skin.

The naked heat of his skin spread to mine and my shaking slowly subsided. And if he would let my mouth free, I wouldn't be gasping every moment, trapped in a shuddering body.

I opened my eyes when he pulled away. His hair still smelled of wood smoke as it tickled the sides of my face. I reached up with weak muscles. My hand trembled slightly. I was so exhausted but I still managed to tuck one side of his hair behind an ear. He leaned down again, cradling the back of my head to tilt it.

Gently his tongue traced my mouth, lulling me away. His warm hands ran soothingly up and down the new burns and bruises across my naked skin. It was getting harder and harder for me to open my eyes.

Especially when Warren turned over, pulling me up to lie on his chest. I felt a blanket drape over us and his warm, muscular arms wrapped themselves around me. In this cocoon I was naked with him, on his bed, in his house, late _late_ at night. And something told me…that nobody was going anywhere. Most especially when I felt his lips pressed tenderly against the side of my forehead.


	19. The Start To A Saturday

**Well, I have been preparing hurriedly for my final high school musical, White Christmas, in which I play Martha "The Megaphone" Watson. I've been out late frequently working at Target. I've been working on a comic book for my WW1 class. Putting together my classical conditioning experiment for Psychology. I've been exercising to lose another 40 pounds before May...in other words, I've been pretty fucking busy. -_-**

**I'm tired, weary, exhausted and I've been lucky enough NOT to become mean as cat piss. XDD **

**I got a message from 'MaidenRose' that begged me deeply for the next chapter of Oxygen by cleverly working in a pun that she was dying and needed oxygen which amused me. So I figured, "Well, I spose I should get that done as well." And I did. Now I just need to finish the next chapter for Clandestine, and start the next chapter of Ember In The Dark.**

**The musical is this Saturday and Sunday so I'll have a pocket of free time inserted into my schedule soon. Be patient everyone. I'm glad you're all so itchy for updates. It shows that I'm a decent writer and you're all sicko fans. Sadomasochism and slash for the win! XDD**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

My father was relaxed on his bed in his big, blinding white, power-neutralizing solitary cell. To the cameras mounted in different angles in the cell, he was sitting cross-legged on his bed reading a Stephen King novel with his glasses on, locks of his long thick hair hanging into his face. But in his left hand, closest to the wall he held a mouse.

Not a mouse with whiskers and a tail, but a computer mouse. He was carefully picking it apart with the lower corner of the thick novel. Pieces of it fell neatly beside his thigh, which he shifted so it covered the bits. He would occasionally turn the page. He was actually reading it of course. He'd never read it before, and it was proving an interesting read to him. He still picked apart the computer mouse though. He could multitask.

He paused in his reading and mouse-dismembering and looked to the right where he heard a sharp beep. Then a gruff voice gratingly came over an intercom. "Lights out, _Battle_." It barked and there was a loud click and an electrical sigh as his cell was plunged into darkness.

His eyes glared into the dark. The fire within him burned in his blood. But it couldn't come out. So it simply waved in his eyes, smoldering and gleaming in the darkness. "Sweet dreams, Warren."

Then there was a knock. Not on the steel door of his cell. It sounded like it was upon a wooden door. Out of place. Confusing.

I tiredly opened my eyes and then closed them halfway against the light from the hallway.

"Hey, Warren. I know it's late, well, early, but I just got back and I was wondering if you wanted to go out and gorge on pancakes with, oh…"

There was my mom. She definitely looked like she just got back. She seemed to have let her hair down from a bun or a pony tail or something because it had a bit of an unorthodox wave to it. She had her button-up shirt slung over her shoulder, and she was just wearing a beige tank top and her skirt. She'd probably lost the heels downstairs, or in the car, or on the airplane.

And here I was, bare-assed naked, in my bed, with another person. While sleeping I suppose he and I must have shifted. Because now I was spooning him with my arms wrapped around him, facing the door. The blanket had shifted down slightly so it was just covering our waists and down. And from such an angle, I was sure my mom could tell that I was sharing my bed with a naked _boy_, while being equally as naked myself.

But my eyes were still dull and sleepy as I looked over at her.

She glanced at Will, still and asleep. Then she looked back at me. She studied me. I could nearly feel her assessing all of my emotions. Measuring and turning over each one with great concentration. It didn't take her more than a moment to put together her own puzzle from my emotions, and most likely some Stronghold's emotions, sleeping or not. What annoyed me was that a warm smile played her lips by the slightest. She whispered, "Sorry." And she backed out of my room, closing the door behind her.

With the door closed, my room was dark again. Will stirred slightly in my arms as the tooth in the door slid back into the socket, making a quiet clunk when it closed. "What?" He groggily murmured.

I tightened my arms around him, drawing him closer, "Shhh."

Within seconds, he'd drifted back off to sleep. I wasn't exactly far behind.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

He slowed his motorcycle to a halt and braced his boot against the ground. He reached back and took my arm, helping me off from behind him. I paused on the sidewalk and looked at him. I couldn't see his face through the tinted shade, but he was looking at me, I could tell. One hand still on the handlebars, he reached up with the other and undid the strap to his helmet. He grabbed the lip and pulled it back off of his head like a hood.

His hair was released and it curtained either side of his face. The streak of red crossed his eye. He reached toward me with a gloved hand and clasped the back of my neck. He pulled me close and I felt his hot breath against my lips before he claimed them.

God, I still hadn't gotten used to it. But it was one of the best things he made me feel.

My fingers clasped the front of his shirt and I shivered at his onslaught. His heated tongue wisped across my lip and I opened my mouth for him. My stomach hollowed and I felt blood start rushing down to my groin. He was calm and controlled, and I was straying away far from it. I felt the pad of his thumb stroke against the vein near the back of my neck. And then he pulled away.

Slightly disappointed, but brought back to reality I looked into his dark eyes. It would have most likely been unethical, and illegal for him to have just screwed me right here, in broad daylight, on his motorcycle, just outside of my neighborhood. So I held no grudge and wasn't disappointed for long.

"Do you want to come over after my shift tonight?" He murmured, still stroking the back of my neck.

I licked my lips, "No. I want you to come to my house tonight."

His gentle, placid, expressionless gaze stiffened. His thumb froze in its stroking and his hand slowly left my neck. He lowered an eyebrow, "Are you crazy?"

I quickly shook my head. "No, no. I can get my parents out of the house. And trust me, when they go out, they stay out for a long time. One time I sent them out to lunch on a sunny day, and they ended up staying two days over in Greece."

He cocked an eyebrow this time, but said nothing.

"Please?"

Still nothing.

My gaze down casted, and I bit my lip. Had I gone too far? I knew this situation was getting much too good to be true. I didn't want to crowd him. I didn't want to make him feel trapped. And I knew how he felt about my _dad_…so meeting my parents was definitely out of the question…

I couldn't exactly imagine introducing him to Mom and Dad anyway…I don't think any of the four of us were anywhere near ready for that. What was I supposed to say in that situation? _Hey Mom? Dad? I'd like you to meet Warren Peace. He's the son of the villain that Dad busted a long time ago and put him in solitary for a quadruple life sentence. Oh and he's been fucking me senseless, aided by the amazing blaze he can make come out of his hands and…_

Yeah. That wouldn't go over well…

But then Warren said, "Okay." and all if my fretting and the beating-myself-up went down the drain.

I looked back up into his eyes. "Really?"

He nodded placidly, face still expressionless. Then he lifted his helmet and pulled it onto his head. I asked, "What time do you get off tonight?"

"8:45." He answered, fitting the strap under his chin.

_I can definitely get them out by then…_

"Okay." I said, dumfounded that he had agreed to it. That he was really coming over tonight.

He started up his motorcycle, did a U-turn and went gunning down the road. I reached up and brushed back my hair. I glanced around, seeing nobody out. Admittedly, it was about 10:30 in the morning on a _Saturday_ so I wasn't expecting to see much life. So I had a leisurely walk back home. It was quiet aside from the sounds of the birds and the occasional breeze through the trees. The sun's rays lazily cast themselves across my skin as I walked and I tucked my hands into my jeans pockets.

I had no idea how they'd survived the night. How I'd survived the night.

That had to have been one of the best times I spent with him yet. It was still gruff, stone-faced Warren with an occasional deviant smirk that didn't reach his eyes. But it was different somehow. For one he was kissing me. That just brought on a whole new level of intimacy between us. It must've shocked Warren too according to the things he'd been mumbling when he'd attacked my mouth at my locker yesterday. And we had actually talked. Well, he had listened mostly. He'd shown me around his house, leaving out the inside of his bedroom.

I wasn't sure if he'd done that unconsciously or deliberately. We'd played some video games. Had a great dinner he'd made himself from scratch. I probably couldn't tell my mom, but that had to be the best cooked fish I'd ever had in my life. The only way I'd ever eaten it was out of a frying pan. But he'd baked it in the oven after smearing herbs and a homemade rub all over it. And those noodles? Damn…

I don't think anyone at school knew that Warren was a such a good cook. I actually think I heard a rumor once that he drank ashes, and ate flaming hot coals. That was a colorful rumor, but a far cry from the truth. That I'd seen anyways.

I looked up and was shocked to that I'd already walked by my house. Not by too far though. I turned around and walked back up the sidewalk. I cut across the lawn and went up to the porch where I tried the front door. It was unlocked so I went inside, closing it behind me. It smelled good inside. I leaned down to untie my Converse and my heart jumped to my throat when my Dad's voice called from somewhere in the house.

"That you Will?"

"Jesus…Yeah Dad. It's me!" I swallowed after I spoke. Was I gonna get away with this one?

"Great! Ya have fun over at Zack's house?" Dad's voice called back.

"Hi Will!" Mom's voice called.

I made my way into the kitchen, and smiled lightly. "Hey Mom. Yeah I had fun."

They looked over at me and smiled.

Dad was sitting on top of the counter like a kid, kicked his feet with his robot eye trophy in his lap. The one he had plucked from the giant robot's eye the day that the Sky High school year had started. He was polishing it…

Mom looked like she was making breakfast for lunch but it was more of a brunch

"Care for an omelet?" Mom asked.

"What'd you boys do all night? Or not do? You look too awake and chipper to have stayed up all night playing video games." My dad said.

Consciously, I tugged at the sleeves of my jacket, grateful that it was covering up the burns and bruises. Long layers for the next couple of days.

"Sure, Mom. And we just hung around. What'd _you_ guys do last night?"

"Stayed in," Dad said, lifting his robot eye up and turning it to look at the shine. "We stayed up late and watched the _Starsky and Hutch_ marathon."

I smiled, "Oh the one with Owen Wilson? And Ben Stiller?"

Mom and Dad looked at each other and shook their heads. Mom flipped poured whisked eggs into a pan and said, "No. The original TV show, not the movie. It's a little before your time, Will." Dad looked over at her, "Hey, you're making it sound like we're old!" Mom cocked an eyebrow over her shoulder at him.

So he went back to polishing his robot eye trophy with Windex and metal polish. Defeated. "Yeah…I guess we are…"

I shook my head at them. _Parents…_ I stepped forward and picked a piece of bacon from the paper toweled plate and crunched on it. I glanced up at mom and she lowered an eyebrow, "I already slapped your father's hand for doing that, don't make me stir it up with you, young man."

I smiled a devious smile and crunched on the bacon strip as loudly and obnoxiously as I could. So mom reached forward and ruffled my hair. "At least you're hungry."

I nodded, "Yeah. But how come you guys didn't go out or something last night?"

Mom cocked an eyebrow over at Dad. He palmed his robot eye and raised a hand, "_What_?"

"Oh, the _Starsky and Hutch_ marathon," I nodded. "Well, then you guys should at least go out tonight. It's Saturday."

Dad shrugged, "I dunno, I was going to ask your mother if she wanted to catch the next chapter of the _Starsky and Hutch_ marathon tonight." Dad said.

"Forget it, Buddy." She said, folding over the egg so it covered the omelet filling of broccoli, cheese, and mushrooms.

"C'mon, Josie! How long has it been since we saw that show? I don't wanna miss it!" Dad exclaimed.

I cocked an eyebrow and shrugged my shoulders, "Dad, I could just record it for you tonight. And you can watch an episode or two every night. That way you get your Starsky and Hutch, Mom only has to tolerate a little at a time and you guys can go to Japan or something."

Mom and Dad glanced at each other.

"Well…I guess that could work."

"I'm actually feeling a little bit more in the mood for the warm comforts of Sweden." Mom said.

"Warm comforts," Dad snorted. "Okay then. We'll fast and gorge ourselves on Swedish cuisine. What time should we leave?"

"Europe is a few hours ahead of us." I said.

Dad nodded, "Okay, so we'll leave about three? And be there by four?"

"Or technically seven-ish." Mom corrected.

Dad smiled, "Yeah."

I took the opportunity to cut in, "So does that mean I can eat your omelet?"

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I was a fair multitasker. I could make kung pao while my head was like a waterfall of thoughts crushing down in my skull.

_Why the hell was I dreaming about a computer mouse last night? _

_ He's the son of the man who landed my father in life sentence in solitary times four._

_ I swear to God if Lan bothers me on my break…_

_ Why the fuck would Mom smile at me like that when she came into my room? Fucking woman…_

_ What the hell have I gotten myself into with Stronghold?_

_ Why the hell did I agree to go to your house tonight?_

_ Didn't this start out as a revenge thing?_

_ Goddamn, I could use a cigarette…_

I looked up when Shu barked, "Wahhen, Zeke, Bai Da! Zēngqiáng cáiliào zài zhèlǐ! Qù nǐ dǎpò nǐ sān!" _Warren, Zeke, Bai Da! Reinforcements are here! Go on your break you three!_

It had just been us three working strictly in the kitchen tonight since three others hadn't shown up. I didn't know the logistics exactly other than what I'd heard Shu yelling over the phone about. Apparently one called in sick, another's father was in a car accident, and the other just wasn't reachable and was MIA.

Bai Da heaved a sigh and said while pulling on his jacket, "Wǒ yào huí jiā, wǒ de qīzi hé jiǎnchá. Wǒ huì huílái de." _I'm going to go home and check on my wife. I'll be back. _

Shu nodded, waving the three arrivals to their stations. "Hǎole. Gàosu tā wǒ xīwàng tā gǎnjué gèng hǎo." _Okay. Tell her I hope she feels better._

I wiped the sweat off my brow and followed Bai Da out the back door. He hurried over to his little car and got in. He hadn't said anything to me so I could tell his head was really in the air about his wife. I didn't know what it was that made everyone think that I was willing to listen to them blather on about things…

I leaned back against the dumpster and looked up at the sky. I itched to go back inside and just rip that pack of unopened cigarettes out of the inside pocket of my leather jacket. How long had it been since my last one?

_Get the fuck out of my head Stronghold. Just let me have peace…_

Then I paused for a second and smirked. I closed my eyes and shook my head. The only time I ever thought like this was when I was away from him. The only time I was completely void of these angry thoughts was when I was with him. I hung my head and tucked a thumb into my belt, _Ha…I only hate everything about you when you're not around…_

The door opened and a voice said, "Hey, whatcha doin'?"

I chuckled, fingertips on my right hand rubbing together, dying to be scissoring a cig. "Getting' mindfucked." I glanced over at Zeke as he stepped down the two steps onto the tar. He brushed his bangs out of his eye and cocked an eyebrow at me. "Well, at least you're not holding a pack of cigarettes this time."

I sighed and leaned my head back against the dumpster, "They're inside in my jacket."

"Still unopened?" Zeke asked.

"Mhmm."

There was a pause and it was quiet for a minute. I kind of wanted Zeke the Dishwasher to keep talking. For one, his voice wasn't nearly as close to the nails across a chalkboard aggravating voice that Lan's voice had become to me. For two, I felt I could actually tolerate this guy which was odd. For three, I wanted the distraction to chase Stronghold out of my head for even a little while.

"Is it about that guy?" Zeke asked. "Will?"

"Oh for _fuck's_ sake!" I exclaimed, reaching up to rub at my eyes. "If you're gonna annoy me, annoy me about something else." I pushed myself away from the dumpster and walked along the brick wall of the restaurant. I stopped, studying how the shadows boldly divided light and dark along the wall.

I heard Zeke's toe tap quietly against the craggy blacktop. "Y'know, maybe you should just talk about it. Whenever I see you, you're stuck your head, and mean as cat piss…or maybe that's just your disposition." He chuckled. "Well, to anyone else, you look like you're just too tough to bother with anybody. But I can see a little more than that."

"Shut up."

"Oh _c'mon_. How bad could it be to just _talk_ about it?"

"You're starting to piss me off, Dishwasher." I growled, looking over my shoulder at him. "I just don't wanna talk about him. I don't wanna think about him. Right now, I don't want anything to do with him."

I felt him touch my shoulder, "Are you sure?"

I shoved his hand off of me and squared my jaw, glaring at him. "Suck my _dick_."

Then Zeke grinned, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. He laughed and said, "Already did that."


	20. Swimming On Saturday

**Yes, yes, I am notorious bitch who can't seem to steadily release chapters XDD I really have been busy lately though. From working, to the musical, to schoolwork, to my brother getting in a car accident Christmas Eve...Yeahhhh...Don't worry, he's alive. He's wearing a halo for 3 months a neck brace for 3 months after that, his face is a little fucked up, and he can't shower, but he damn alive. **

**I feel kinda bad that this chapter is so short...but as most of you know, I am also notorious bitch for leaving you with lovely little cliffhangers that piss you off le SO MUCH! ^_^ **

**Excuse the french accent, I'm watching Princess and the Frog. XDD**

**Consider this chapter my late Christmas present. I had been planning on updating all of my stories by Christmas but I can only put out so much XDD **

**I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say! Now excuse me while I finish watching Princess and the Frog for the first time...don't laugh at me, I'll mess you up...Hehe, and if you do laugh, consider the ending of this chapter my punishment to YOU. **

**Lot's of love my sadomasochist lovers! ...you're all sickos...XDDD just like meeeeeeeee!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I brushed back my hair and glanced at the clock. It was 9:38pm. _I remember him saying that he was getting off work at 8:45…Did something happen? How far away does he work? Shit…I shouldn't have asked him to come here…_

I sighed quietly and turned on the couch so I was lying on my back. I raised my arms over my head and settled them on the arm of the sofa. I listened to the gentle, rhythm of the ticking of the clock. I stilled my breath and just listened to my pulse throbbing until I had to take a breath again. I did my best to resist looking at the clock.

For the past hour I'd been jumping up at every little noise. Wondering if his motorcycle had pulled up in front of my house. Just wondering if he'd soundlessly entered my house and I was going to be subjected to another bout of violent sex that I doubt anyone else in the world had ever been known to indulge in.

I closed my eyes and pulled in a long defeated breath. I guess I forgot to open my eyes again, because I think I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

There was a huge revving sound and I jumped awake, entirely convinced that Warren had driven his motorcycle right into my living room. But when I looked I saw it was just the television with a dirt bike stunt and race on TV with the volume pretty high. And Warren was sitting at the opposite end of the couch with the remote in his hand and my bare feet in his lap.

He sat there placidly, not looking at me as I stared at him. _He actually came…!_

I stirred, pressing my elbows into the couch behind me and propping myself up. "Hi." I said quietly. I felt his big, warm hand gently clasp my ankle and he looked over at me.

"Hey." He said.

I looked to the TV, trying to make sure nothing was awkward for him. I didn't want him to leave. "What're we watching?"

"I don't know," he said. "I wasn't really paying attention." I felt his thumb stroking the side of my ankle and I had no idea why I was so aware of it. I licked my lips and swallowed. I thought back to all the things I figured we could do when he did come. There were so many scenarios of things I'd thought of: video games, TV, swimming in the pool in the back yard…and each time I ended up straying from it and imagining how he might start kissing me.

"How was work?" I asked.

He shrugged, looking at the TV, his stroking hand climbing higher and higher on my ankle. "It was just another night."

I nodded slightly, kind of wishing he'd tell me more. I liked it when he spoke. It made me feel closer to him. He didn't speak placidly with me much. Then again, I didn't think he really spoke placidly with anyone. It made me feel special. Unique. Happy. _Loved…_

"What were you dreaming about?" He suddenly asked, turning off the TV and tossing the remote onto the coffee table. He looked to me expectantly, and brushed his hair behind him ear. I swallowed hard. I had no clue how I could survive his demanding presence, and the beauty of him, if that was an acceptable way to describe him.

He must've mistaken my mystification for confusion because he spoke again, "You were saying my name."

My eyes widened and I blushed. Embarrassed, I averted my gaze. I hadn't known I was much of a sleep talker. What the hell _had_ I been dreaming about? I couldn't remember. I don't think I wanted to know because something in me told me that it had been sad.

"I don't know." I said, shifting my feet out of his lap and tucking them under me in the middle of the couch. His eyes looked to my lips and back to my eyes. "Really?"

I shook my head, "I know it was about you, but I can't remember what happened." I looked down at the couch cushion and started tracing the stitching with a finger.

"Hm." I heard Warren grunt quietly. His warm fingertips slipped under my chin and propped it up so he could looked into my eyes. He searched my eyes for a moment and I felt his right hand grasp my arm, gently pulling me toward him. I slowly complied, and nervously followed the pull of his hand. At one point he let go of my arm and took a hold of my left thigh and guided it over his thighs. That got me nervously and excitedly panting.

And I found myself seated in his _lap_. _Warren Peace's_ lap. He slid his left hand from my chin and around to the back of my neck. He pulled me yet closer and lightly pressed lips to mine silencing my quick breaths. I grasped his black t-shirt in my fists and shuddered when he very gently drew my lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it. His tongue was warm against my lips and I already found a fire was starting to brew in my belly and send blood down to a stiffening erection.

My hands encircled his neck and I kissed him back with such a rigorous vigor…that he drew his lips away with a quiet smack and stared into my eyes, caressing one side of my face and combing his fingers through my hair. He smirked his trademark smirk. Showing no teeth and hardly reaching his dark eyes. "You need to learn to control yourself, Stronghold."

I chuckled airily, trying to catch my breath as I grasped his stroking hands, "I can't help it…"

He shook his head, ending his smirk, "You need to cool off."

I shrugged, hardly able to control my banter, "Heh…There's…We got…a uh pool out in…the backyard. We _could_ cool off if you want to…"

He smirked again, "Alright, show me."

At first I drew a blank. He was following my poor attempt at a lead? Of course not, he still was holding the reigns, he always controlled the situation, controlled me. And I didn't exactly mind either. So when he stood and spilled me on the floor, I gathered myself quickly, licking my lips and swallowing.

I led him back out of the living room and into the kitchen where the side door was. And then I opened the door. I looked around. The night was pleasant and the pool lights were dimly lighting up the back yard. I resisted glancing over my shoulder at Warren as I led him around the side of the house to the backyard where I had to open the gate. After all, how was I supposed to learn to control myself if I kept staring at him?

The smell of chlorine drifted softly on the air and I listened for a moment to the pump moving the clear water about the pool. Last time I took a swim was a few days ago at maybe two in the morning. I'd been trying to shock my body into clearing my thoughts of Warren so I could maybe sleep without waking up to freakin' wet dreams and orgasms that I had no control over.

As I looked down into the pool water I thought distractedly, _Shit, he doesn't have trunks. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Sure I got an extra pair but they'd never fit him. Last thing I'm gonna do is lend him Dad's…So maybe I could…_

My body stiffened as I felt Warren's warm fingers gliding from my sides to my stomach from behind. I felt his breath against my scalp and I unconsciously leaned back into his chest as his hands slipped beneath my shirt and caressed my skin. I shuddered a sigh when his thumb brushed over a nipple and slid back down to my navel. He was so warm. I was practically enveloped in his scent and I thought it might be pleasant to drown in it.

I felt him grasp my t-shirt and start pulling it upward. My body moved to smoothly comply with his actions. I raised my arms as he pulled my shirt off of me and let it drop to the tiled ground. His hands glided down my arms, leaving a trail of warmth on my skin as he did. I gasped when I felt his hot breath against the side of my neck.

I leaned back into his chest further. His hands glided across my vulnerable skin, warming me down to my muscles within. I felt one hand leave my belly and I opened my eyes slightly. His hand reached back and took a hold of the shoulder of his own t-shirt and yank it easily from his body. Once it hit the tile, Warren wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back into his chest. I was engulfed in his cocoon of warmth. And I gasped and clenched my teeth, whimpering when he muted flames between his skin and my skin.

I writhed against him, trying to escape, but trying to get closer to him at the same time. I let out a choked yell, trying to keep myself from being too loud. We were outside. The last thing we needed was neighbors calling the cops because they heard me screaming…or Layla hearing me and coming over to try and protect me.

His hands brushed down my belly and grasped the waistband of my jeans. I let out an accelerated breath and shivered as he worked the button loose and pulled down the zipper. He gripped the waistband of my jeans and boxers at the same time and shoved them down, licking the vein in my neck at the same time.

I gasped, entirely naked against his warm chest. His hands stroked all across my bare skin, deliberately avoiding the place I wanted him to touch the most. His hands slipped up my ribs and over my shoulders to my shoulder blades. The next thing I knew, he _shoved_ me.

"Ah!" I yelled out as I fell through the air. And then I hit the water.

The coolness of it consumed my body, salving the burns that he had pressed silently into my skin just seconds before. Bubbles escaped my lips and I quickly surfaced, spitting out water and brushing my wet hair out of my eyes.

I looked up at him. He was standing by the edge of the pool smirking and chuckling at his accomplishment. I brushed a water droplet out of my eye and smiled, "Real nice. You'd better not get too close; I swear I'll drag you in here."

Warren stopped chuckling, but kept smirking. I treaded water for a moment as he stared down at me. My abs clenched when he reached to the belt around the waistband of his jeans. I shuddered when he pulled it loose and undid the button. The rippling, lit up water was casting bluish waving stream reflections across his body. He looked like a God from down here in the water as he stood over me.

"You might just be enjoying this too much, Stronghold." He sneered as he pulled down the zipper.

I averted my gaze into the bluish water, still treading. I couldn't see my reflection so I couldn't see myself blush.

"C'mere."

I looked up and saw that he had shucked the last of his clothing and had slipped into the shallow end of the pool and was sitting leaned against the edge. I smiled in excitement and swam gently toward him. He suddenly held up a hand out of the water, "But I swear to God, if you splash me, I'll roast you alive." He glared over at me sternly.

I paused in my long smooth strokes, afraid to approach for a moment. But his glare softened and he said a little clearer and softer, "Come here." His hand rose slightly from the water and skimmed the surface, reaching out for me, inviting me in. I licked my lips and tasted chlorine. I swallowed and swam over to him.

Under the water I felt his hands gently take hold of my hips and lift me slightly. And he settled me in his lap. I jumped slightly, feeling his gloriously bare erection pressing against the inside of my thigh. His wet hand touched my face and made me look him in the eyes. They were so dark and I could swear I could see fire dancing in them. His eyes searched mine, his hands exploring my face with the upmost cautiousness. His thumb tips brushed softly over my eyelids and touched my lip. When I opened my eyes again, I swore I could see something in his.

Something different. His face was expressionless but there was this sort of…life in his eyes. Something I couldn't recognize. As I felt his hand slip into my wet hair and knead my scalp, I came up with my own ideas of what it could be. _Content? Satisfaction? Affection…?_

His other hand wrapped around my naked body and his hand pressed to the small of my back. He pressed me closer to him. He pulled my lower lip into his mouth and grazed his teeth against it. I gasped quietly, hands traveling around to encircle his neck. I leaned further into his kiss, holding onto him for dear life. He tilted his head the other way and his hot tongue slipped into my mouth. His hands traveled down through the water and captured my hips in a bruising, heated grasp.

I moaned and whimpered in my throat, feeling the water heat up around me, feeling the burning pain taking over my skin. He drew my tongue into his mouth sucked on it, and brushing over my taste buds at the same time. I shivered and squirmed in his lap as his white hot hands caressed my skin in the water, leaving burns and trails of throbbing pain behind. I mutely cried out when his fiery fingertips lifted out of the water and clawed their way down my back, sending the pain deep within like razor blades slicing open my skin.

I pulled in a gasp and whispered into his ear, "_Please_, Warren…_fuck me_."

"Hey Will! We're back from, OH MY LORD!"


	21. Fixing Saturday Night

**Merry meet my darlings! Happy New Year! Didja hear that Japan had an earthquake rated 7.0? No damage known and no tsunami expected however. Haha, the world is starting to end already! Psssshh, on December 21st 2012, I think I'll wake up and eat cereal...**

**Tonight was my last night of working at Target. Haha, end of seasonal. Oh well. I've already applied at a bunch of places. Hannaford, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Pizza Plus, this other pizza dive of a joint...I don't even like pizza! Yeahhhh I know...the only fuckin American teenager that doesn't like pizza. I came to realize this last night when I tried to eat it. I was like 'uh uh, bitch, dis shit nasty'.**

**Upon the posting of this chapter, I'm sure all of you saw the alert via email and were all like -blink blink- then O_O then :DDDD**

**Haha how do ya like that? Two chapters I put out this week! I hope you all know that all the content and happenings in my chapters are premeditated and planned. It just all depends on me having the time or motivation of writing it, uploading it, writing my Author's Note, and posting it XDD**

**I hope all of my little loyal sickos enjoy reading this chappy-chap! My dear little sickos, my little sicko minions of my sicko army, my wonderful little sicko darlings. Pshhh I love that term of endearment! But only we can say sicko. It's like the 'N' word with my black folks. Or the 'Faggot' word with my fellow rainbow LGBTQ etc etc people...hehe, I'M the etc etc part! ^_^**

**Enjoy this delicious installment of Oxygen! I'm gonna go drink some icy water, fart and then fall asleep! XDD**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

"Steve, what is it? Oh!"

I jumped, clenching hard into Warren's shoulders. _Oh shit!_

There were Mom and Dad. Their hair was a little windblown from their flight and they both were looking pretty shocked. Actually, I think Dad looked horrified. Mom was just shocked.

"M-Mom! Dad, I," I stammered, looking to Warren's face in front of me. His body had stiffened and frozen beneath me. His jaw muscle was clenched. His eyes were looking seriously into mine, wide and searching. I looked back to Mom and Dad, "I, uh,"

But then Mom smiled widely and covered her mouth. "Sorry! We uh, we'll just go and leave…you alone."

Dad exclaimed, "What?" and turned around to look at her. "We can't just leave our son alone here with a…_girl_! _Somethin's _— _gonna — happen_!" He hissed all high-pitched between his teeth.

Mom grinned, trying not to laugh and shook her head, "We'll see you tomorrow, Will."

"What? But!"

Mom went around behind Dad, grasped him under the arms and started up into the air. "See you Will! Be safe!" she called as she brought them higher and higher and flew off.

My jaw was hanging open as I stared up where I'd last been able to see them. _Did…that just…happen? _I couldn't believe that had just happened. My parents had come home, found me obviously naked in the pool with Warren, obvious because our clothes were strewn all over the tiles, and then just _left_…

How many times was I going to be able to keep dodging being caught? I had no idea how this one had worked out…I'd just been caught red handed and…_Hold on a second…what did Dad say…?_

I slowly looked back to Warren. His gaze was downcast and he looked as if he were thinking _very_ hard. He was probably just as surprised as I was. But I knew an aspect of how this one had turned in our favor of secrecy.

I licked my lips and said, "Warren?"

His dark eyes looked to mine. They looked troubled.

_This is gonna clear some things up here…_I smiled lightly, and bit my lip. "Warren, uh…they…they thought you were a…a girl…" I couldn't help it, I laughed a little.

* * *

**~Up In The Air~ **

"Josie I can't believe you did that! Hey! Are you listening to me? Ms. Flight Attendant, you need to turn this flight around and get back down there! As the kids say nowadays, somethin's gonna go _down_!" Steve cried out, doing a twitchy dance midair that looked a lot like Michael Jackson having a seizure.

Josie shook her head, "Steve, just," she paused to laugh at his cute little flustered dance, "you just need to calm down. Weren't _you_ the one who told me to stop babying him?"

"What? This is different! Our firstborn son is…is…_sexually active_!"

Josie laughed again, "Steve, calm down. He's our _only_ born son. And don't use that phrase…it sounds stupid. And it makes you sound old."

"I am _not_ old, Josie! And I can't calm down, he's only _fourteen_!" Steve exclaimed, raising his arms in the air.

Josie shook her head, "Steve, stop and think for a second. How old were you exactly? Hm? When you first had,"

"Don't say it!" Steve interrupted. After a moment of flying in silence he reached up and rubbed at his eyes. "I was…I was…when I first…I was fifteen…"

Josie cocked an eyebrow down at her husband, "Really? I remember hearing rumors that in freshman year, you and that Senior, Lucy Riddering, did it after homecoming."

Steve shook his head violently, "It _did_ happen after homecoming, but I was fifteen already!"

Josie shrugged, "Oh."

"Don't say 'oh'!"

"Well, he's _going_ to be fifteen soon,"

"But he's still fourteen! Honestly Josie, how old were you your first time? Give me a break…" Steve said, running his hands down his face.

"Actually, I was fourteen when I lost my virginity,"

"WHAT?"

"Steve, seriously, if you keep doing that dance, you're gonna make me drop you. You just have to chill out. Seriously, you're a man. I thought men were supposed to be proud of their sons when they hit a home run."

"Oh jeez," Steve murmured, shaking his head.

Josie laughed, "I can't believe you're being such a prude,"

"A prude? What?"

"And if you keep interrupting me, I _am_ going to drop you. Steve, our son isn't a child anymore. He's exploring sexually, he'd have to do it eventually. God, I would have expected you to give him another video game console or something!"

"Wait, you know about the Xbox?"

"I see all. I know all…except who Will's girl is." Josie giggled. "I hope he introduces us to her soon."

"…Did you see who it was…by chance?" Steve asked quietly after a moment, looking over his shoulder at his wife.

"No, I didn't. All I saw was the back of her head and that's it. She never turned around. But let's promise right now not to press him or scold him about it. He'll tell us about it when he's ready." Josie said.

Steve pouted into the night air. "I'll tell you right now that it wasn't Gwen Grayson…"

"What makes you say that?" Josie asked.

"Cuz Gwen's hair wasn't cut like that, and wasn't the same type of hair. And those big, black boots sitting at the shoe mat are _not_ something she would wear. Oh dear god, our son is dating a goth girl…"

"_Steve_!"

"I can't help it! This is gonna drive me nuts! It's probably that Magenta girl, the one who shifts into a guinea pig! Oh dear god, what if she's Satanic?"

"_Steve_! I don't think it was Magenta!"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I saw her leave Layla's house and go home in her Mom's car before we left this afternoon! She waved bye!"

"So this girl is anonymous! That makes me feel better!"

There was a long moment of silence as Steve crossed his arms. Josie shrugged and spoke after a moment, "Well, look on the bright side, I don't think you have to give him the Father Son Sex Talk _entirely_."

"AH! YOU _SAID_ IT! DON'T SAY IT!"

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

What had I done? Or rather, why hadn't I? He'd been standing right _behind_ me. I could've turned around, powered up, grabbed little Stronghold's dick or something to make him cry out and say something snarky to Stronghold Senior about how his son liked it rough. I could have brought it all crashing down right then. I could have finally tasted it…revenge. I could have torn their world apart.

But yet…I did nothing…

I'd stayed absolutely frozen, still in the moment I had once planned to be the outbreak of fucked up reality. Yeah that's right Stronghold Senior, the son of Baron Battle has been fucking yours senseless all this time with all the finesse of an abusive man, except your son likes to be abused! Nothing like that. Nothing at all in fact.

I had just let them make their assumptions, and just get away. They'd even thought I was a _chick_! Why hadn't I done anything? How deep have I sunk here?

I shoved Stronghold off of me and he grunted, splashing back through the water. I heard him cough a little behind me as I turned and heaved myself out of his pool. The water streamed off my naked body as I got up onto their fancy tiled ground. My body started heating up as I picked my jeans and boxers off of the tiles, drying the water from my skin.

"Warren, please," I heard Stronghold say, climbing out of the pool. "I'm sorry. I didn't think they'd be back so soon!"

I tried to ignore him. His pleading voice was trespassing in my senses. His hand touched my arm, "Please, please don't,"

"Get the _fuck_ off of me!" I yelled out, turning and catching him in the jaw with my fist. It knocked him back through the air and into the pool with a heavy splash. I glared at the lapping water, gripping my jeans in one fist. My right fist was throbbing.

He surface and coughed, eyes closed and brow arching. Blood trickled wetly down the side of his chin, thinned by the water. When he coughed again, blood droplets clouded the water and then dissolved in the chlorine. His hand lifted out of the water and softly cupped the side of his face where I'd angrily punched him.

Then his eyes looked up at me and got my heart in a vice grip. Big, blue and sad they stared up at me, hurt and isolated. I clenched my jaw, not able to look away from those pained eyes. I'd hit him plenty of times in plenty of placed on his body. But I'd never…not once ever punched him in the face. Not since this whole thing started at least. Whatever this _thing_ had become…

I watched the blood trickle from his mouth as he stared up at me. I couldn't tell if he was tearing up or not because water was dripping profusely from his wet hair down his face. But it didn't matter. Somehow, and I hated to admit this to myself, it hurt me to see him hurt. It hurt to his eyes wide, sad, downgraded and tossed away.

Something told me that I should just leave right then. Cut this whole thing off like a dead limb and forget about it. Something in me told me to just yank on my jeans, grab my shirt, go back through the house, pull on my boots, get outside, turn over my bike and just take off, never to return to this place.

And I pushed it down deep inside me. I dropped my jeans to the tiles and slipped back into the pool. I waded over to Stronghold and wrapped him in my arms tightly. He jumped against me slightly and I held him tighter. The grip around my fiery heart loosened when his hands touched my chest and slipped around my neck.

"I'm sorry." I murmured.

His body twitched slightly and he pulled away, looking into my eyes.

Those blues no longer looked so hurt. They were soft, affectionate, and devoted. And surprised. I suppose I couldn't hold it against. I doubt anyone would ever think that Warren fucking Peace would apologize for knuckling someone in the face.

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

Admittedly, I wasn't expecting the hard punch in the face. It had been a very long time since he had hit me in the face. The last time he'd done that had been during our little cafeteria fiasco where we pretty much trashed and destroyed the place. Since then, he'd hit me everywhere else on my body pretty much, and I wasn't complaining about it. Maybe screaming in masochistic ecstasy but never complaining. Hitting me in the face just felt like…maybe there was a line that was crossed. As if he'd taken a step out of our…whatever we had going.

And yet, I felt like I'd deserved it, no matter how much it hurt me. And yet again, I, no way in hell had been expecting him to come back into the water and pull me into his arms and comfort me. Whisper that he was sorry to me into my ear.

I'd been expecting him to just take off. Leave me in the pool with blood seeping from my gums. No sentiment required.

But he'd stayed. I guess at this point as he brushed my wet hair out of my eyes and lightly kissed me, I should stop making assumptions about him. Warren Peace never seems to do the expected. I accepted the fact as he cupped my chin gently that Warren Peace was always going to keep me guessing, and was always going to surprise me.

"C'mon." He said quietly, releasing me, but keeping a hand to the small of my back. We climbed out of the pool, and picked up our clothes. When I straightened again, he was already dry. His dry hand settled against my wet back and he guided me back inside my house where he herded me to the bathroom upstairs. He took a washcloth from the basket and ran it under warm water.

He turned to me where I had taken a seat on the edge of the bathtub. He knelt down in front of me and quietly spoke. "Let me see."

I closed my eyes as he gently wiped away the blood which had seemed to have stopped dripping out of my mouth. His hands were so much warmer than the washcloth and I leaned my cheek into his palm. I felt his lips touch mine by the slightest and I felt him press his forehead against mine.

Just being so close to his furnace of a body started to dry my skin. He softly kissed me and took me to my room where he laid us down serenely into my bed. He pulled the blanket up over us and drew me, facing him, as close as he possibly could into his chest. He seemed to have maneuvered us in such a way so that the sore side of my face wouldn't be pressing against my pillow.

He tilted up my chin and kissed me again. Slowly and softly.

And then we laid there. Just laid there. His hand slowly stroked up and down my shoulder. His arms engulfed me in the warmest and most comforting embrace I'd ever been held in. I was surrounded by his smell, hardly affected by the smell of chlorine.

Leather.

Spicy fire.

And his hair was like a mane of consoling wood smoke.

I drifted away like that smoke in the night, dissolving into sleep.

* * *

I woke up a few hours later, and it was still dark. I tilted my head slightly and looked up at Warren. The porch light from Layla's house was on and was casting a bit of a glow through my window. It was enough for me to see that Warren was fast asleep in the dark. He breathed slowly, deeply and silently through his nostrils.

I was still curled up in his arms, entirely naked if not for the blanket. I leaned my forehead against his collarbone. I could feel his pulse throbbing calmly as he slept. His skin was so impossibly warm. I breathed in deeply against his neck, drawing in his smell.

_Why is he still here?_ I wondered, moving my hand from where it had been slumbering against his chest. _What made you stay here with me tonight? Why would you let me stay at your house? Normally you'd just fuck me, and take off…what's changing about you?_

I caressed his chest, really feeling his muscles for the first time. My fingers wisped across his strong stomach. I hesitated when I got close to his penis.

_I've never…done anything like that before…I don't know…but he's done…I could…_

I jumped slightly when I heard Warren breathe in deeply through his nose and tighten his arms around me for a moment until he sighed quietly. I lifted my gaze and found him looking down at me with his dark eyes. His big hands smoothed down my back and he leaned in and kissed me.

I pulled in a gasp when he turned over, dragging me on top of him. One of his hands grasped the back of my neck, pressing me into his kiss as he performed the greatest dance in my mouth with his tongue.

I was dizzy within two minutes. I was very aware of my erection pressing against his stomach. He stole away my breath when he reached behind me and grabbed my thighs. He pulled them up to nestle on the sheets of my bed on either side of his hips. I groaned for two reasons then. He'd bit down hard on my lip and I could feel his strong erection up against my backside.

I shuddered and started to get off of him to get on my elbows and knees for him. Hell, for me too. I wanted him so badly.

But he held me still, shaking his head. "No. Stay like this."

"But…why?" I asked, hardly able to breathe stably.

I saw the edges of his mouth tip up slightly and he pulled me in for a kiss again. And the he murmured against my throbbing lip, "More pressure."

Good god, I shivered when he said that. I closed my eyes as I felt him stroking my arousal. I felt him touching himself briefly behind me as well. Then I screamed out when I felt his flaming hands drag up my back. My mouth dropped open, letting out another, more choked scream as I felt his _bare_ erection shove into me, making my eyes fly shut in agony.

I pressed my face to his collarbone, my fingers clenching his shoulders. His flaming hands grabbed a hold of my hips in a powerful grip and raised me up slightly. I cried out and gasped as he brought me back down and thrust up at the same time. My belly felt blazing hot and full of him. Dark spots dances across my eyes and thick air seemed to pass through my skull as he thrust up into me harder and harder, moving my hips to meet him each time.

He sat up, his blazing hands traveling up my sides, making me scream out. But he'd stopped. Fucking Christ, I needed it so much, wanted it so much. "Don't stop…please." I breathed and rose up slightly myself. And I brought myself back down onto him. He bit out a groan as I leaned my head back.

My mouth fell open in a pained yell as his flaming arms clamped around me, trapping me in a circle of fire all around me. It lit up my room with bright orange light. It lit up all of my nerves and pain receptors around my body. Tears welled in my eyes and I could barely see as I lifted myself up and down, refusing to let it end.

He growled in his throat and reached down to touch my thighs. My muscles clenched in pain as his fire burned my sensitive skin. He took a hold of my calves and pulled them out from under me so my legs were splayed behind him and I was literally sitting in his lap. I gasped, having had my support yanked out from under me, shoving him the deepest he'd ever been inside of me. Making him press hard against that sweet spot inside of me that nearly shoved me over the edge each time. This time it did. I came with a scream of blissful agony. My chest felt wet and slick with semen.

Warren's most likely was too, but he didn't seem to care. I panted loudly against him, shuddering, hardly able to move. And when the thought had passed through my head that he had paralyzed me again, he moved instead.

He growled again, attacking my lips. His hands slipped under my knees and around behind my back. I felt them lock together behind me and the next thing I know, he slipped out of my bed and he was holding me up. I whimpered against his throat, tightly encircling my arms around his neck. I couldn't believe it, I was getting hard again, already.

I felt the wall right beside my bed coldly press up against my back.

I found that gravity was one of the most gratifying forces in the world…other than fire of course. With each thrust, he ground me into the wall, rocked me back and forth, drew out groaning screams and whimpering moans from me. His lips burned against my neck. His strong arms kept me from falling. His fiery shoulders burned my forearms as I held onto him for dear sweet life.

He turned away from the wall and I felt the softness of my sheets against my back. I jumped and yelled out in pain when the new angle thrust him deep inside of me again. He moved me into the middle of my bed and pressed my thighs up against my chest.

All this time, I hadn't been able to keep my eyes from squeezing shut in pain. But I needed to see his faze. He had never done this to me face to face before. I had to see him. I had to look in his eyes if I possibly could.

I could. His dark eyes opened and stared down at me, as if he'd known I'd opened my eyes to look up at him. His hair hung around his face like a black halo with a streak of red in the dark. His lips were ever so slightly parted and he breathed quietly and ruggedly. His jaw was slightly clenched, but other than that his facial muscles were mostly relaxed, drunken, and blissed.

I felt him big hand cup release my left thigh. And he caressed the left side of my face. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer as he continued to thrust in and out of me, deeper inside of me each time. I wondered briefly if a mere mortal could survive this…? If they couldn't I was sure that they would die extremely happy.

His fingertips brushed over my eyelids and down my nose. They moved gently against my parted lips. I couldn't help it…my tongue brushed out against them. I heard him bite out a grunt. My tongue lapped against his fingertips until I pulled them into my mouth and sucked on them.

He gasped and groaned above me and I could feel a clenching to his muscles and a stiffening to his movements. My eyes open slightly and I could see his parted lips, furrowed brow and fluttering eyelids, undecided to let his eyes roll back into his head or not. He placed more rhythm to his thrusts as well, more like a quickening drumbeat now.

_Did…I just find…Ah, god…did I…find his…thing? His spot? The thing…ah…that gets him, ah Jesus! …going? Sucking on his fingers? What?_

And it hit me almost as hard as his next thrust. When he powered up, his fire bloomed from his hands and traveled up to his shoulders. His nerve endings in his hands had to be the most impossibly strong and hyper sensitive in his body. Sucking on his fingertips awoke pleasure receptors inside of him. I felt a little disappointed in myself for not figuring that out sooner.

He didn't seem disappointed at all. He leaned down and captured my lips. His tongue twisted around mine. His teeth grazed my top lip and bit down hard on my lower lip. His free hand pressed hard against my chest and fire bloomed from it.

This was my last scream. The most loud and agonized. And the most pleasured. My stomach was splashed with another one of my strong endurance orgasms. I trembled and whimpered as Warren continued rocking into me.

And fuck, when he came, I actually felt it for the first time. White hot liquid coated my insides and I yelled out against his collarbone. I heard him let out a long groan into my ear. I even felt him shiver, right up until he collapsed on my paralyzed body.

I closed my eyes and let my body become submissive to the paralyzed trembling, shuddering and shaking. My body twitched under him and I gasped as I panted heavily. As he panted heavily. His hand caressed my face again and he lifted off of me. With his free hand, he pulled himself from my insides and I whimpered.

"Shhh." Warren quietly crooned. He settled his exhausted body down beside me and brushed my hair back from my face.

He banished the shaking with his warm body. He exiled the trembling with his wonderful scent. He chased away the shuddering with his kiss. Gently his tongue ran across the throbbing bite in my lower lip. He pulled me into his arms, comforting me in his warmth. I'd never felt closer to him in all of the time we'd spent together.

If I hadn't been so exhausted, I would've spent the next hour going over my evening, how it had gone from good to great, to bad, to terrible, to good, to great, and to fucking wonderful, blissful and beyond infinity. But I was very exhausted. I contently drifted back to sleep as his fingers continued combing through my hair.


	22. Moms On Sunday

**Uh-huh. I know, I'm a lout who can't fapping update chapters steadily. **

**I've gotten several messages and comments, not nearly as many as favorites and story alerts though. I suppose it's becoming a little popular. Should I spend more time weaving tasty Warren/Will-ness? I'm sure some of you will think so! And I will! As long as you no touch my Mini Wheats! You know who you are...I'ma watchin youuuuu! -protects my mini wheats-**

**I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Warren's GOOD-spot, his hyper-sensitive fingertips, were inspired by a fellow author who has written some wonderful Warren/Will stories. That would be Jeune Chat. And for those who accuse me of stealing ideas, I actually got her permission to use the idea, so nyah nyah NYAH! Hmph!**

**I really am sorry that I haven't updated in a long while. I've probably been working on this chapter for a week now, just random moments during school. And tonight I HAD to quickly finish it because I promised a reader, nat2387, that I would post tonight. So I did. And I gotta tell you, I am exhausted, dead-tired. I got this finished while munching on strawberry Eggos and sipping chocolate milk. **

**It was a long day of calling places looking for work. Finding a place that's hiring. Driving out there to apply only to find out that they had closed for the day seeing as their hours are 7am to 2pm every day except Tuesday and I got there at 2:30pm! HAH! Then going down to the school to do hair and makeup for the middle school's musical. Staying to watch it again. Staying later to help clean up the stage. Coming home. Working on this chapter. **

**And now I'm gonna add, plopping in my bed and slipping away into a coma to the list! Love you my little army of loyal sicko minions! Night-night! -dies-**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

It was just before dawn when I opened my eyes. Pale orange light was leaking through the window glass. My body was comfortably stretched out. My muscles were pleasantly tired. And in my arms laid a sleeping Stronghold.

I blinked sleepily, looking at Stronghold's face. His face was relaxed and his eyes were gently closed. I listened to his soft breathing.

For a moment I thought that I would be perfectly content to simply remain here in Stronghold's bed, cradling his sleeping form for hours and hours.

But I couldn't.

I lifted my head up from the pillows, listening silently for any sounds throughout the house. I listened for a few long minutes. And I was very sure that things were still and silent. So I slowly started to extricate myself from Stronghold, trying my absolute best not to wake him.

The mattress creaked quietly as I slipped out of it. Thankfully he didn't wake up. He stayed still, breathing slowly and deeply, dreaming.

I stepped lightly around the bed and crouched down beside the bed to retrieve my discarded boxers and pants. I froze when Stronghold shifted on the bed. He turned stiffly onto his back and a sighing exhale left him. He was still asleep though. So I grabbed my boxers and my jeans. I stood back up, tossing my jeans over one shoulder and then I stepped into my boxers.

I slipped on my jeans, buttoned them and pulled up the zipper. I glanced around for my shirt and found it hanging over the end of his bed. I stepped over and grabbed it. I slipped my arms into the sleeves and pulled it over my head.

"Don't go…"

I paused as I reached to pull the hem down from under my arms to my waist. I looked over at him. His eyes were open slightly and he was looking at me with those sleepy blue eyes. I yanked the hem of my shirt down and sat on the edge of the bed, "Shhh…"

I caressed the side of his face. He closed his eyes after a moment and leaned into my touch. I brushed my thumb along his cheekbone and then ran my fingers through his hair. He sighed quietly, caught in a place between consciousness and unconsciousness. Awareness and slumber. I leaned down and kissed his slightly parted lips softly, dragging the blanket up to his collarbone.

I waited a little while. I just sat there, combing my fingers through his hair until he slipped away and was carried down into sleep again. Even when I was sure he was sleeping, I remained. It took me a long time to get myself to carefully lift myself from his bed and leave his room. I paused at the top of the stairs, cocking my head, listening intently. Still there was no movement or noise throughout the house.

So I descended the stairs and walked across the floor to the mat beside the door. I yanked on my boots, and pulled on my jacket. I glanced back at the stairway. I made myself open the door and close it quietly behind me. I walked off of his porch and down the path. I walked down the street to spot between a fence and some bushes where I usually stashed my Harley. I backed it out of my hiding spot carefully and I took the keys from my jacket pocket.

I climbed on after slipping my helmet on my head. I turned the bike over and took off.

Leaving White Hills behind.

For now at least.

Because I knew that even though how much I told myself I fucking hated his guts, and how I was never going to burden myself with his twerp ass ever again…I was still going to come back here. If not tomorrow, then the next day I realized, or the next day. Understand it or not, little Stronghold had planted himself firmly inside of my being. And like it or not, I cared about him…

"_Shit_…"

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I turned over sleepily, my hand sliding across my sheets in search. But I only found cold absence. My eyes opened tiredly, seeing the emptiness of my blue sheets. I breathed quietly through my nose and then rubbed the sleep from my eyes, sitting up. I winced and leaned onto my elbow, removing the heaviest of my weight from the center of my behind. I gave the daylight shimmering through my window a waking sigh.

A moment ago I had been wondering whether or not I had been dreaming a pleasant dream in which Warren had gotten dressed to leave, and sat for a while running his fingers through my hair, kissing me lightly. I knew now that it wasn't a dream, but a pleasant reality.

My body ached with wonderful, loving pain. The burns and bruises across my skin brought a warm smile to me. And the dull ache in my jaw reminded me of the fiery anger which so quickly changed to apology. I couldn't believe I had heard _Warren Peace_ say that he was sorry. But like I had told myself last night, I wasn't going to make predictions about him anymore. For the long-haired firebird never did anything that was expected.

It didn't hurt too bad when I pressed it and pinched it so the bruise must have healed enough to hardly be noticeable.

So I rolled out of my bed to face the Sunday. With a glance at my clock, I saw that it was 10:38 am. I eased myself onto my feet and looked down at my hands. My palms were a little red and my forearms were burned. The burns showed up in several places across my body. I had some bruises fitting his fingers behind my knees and my thighs where he'd grasped them, pressing them into my chest last night.

I thought about his dark, burning gaze. Blissed. Possessive.

I shuddered out a sigh and ran my hands up and down my face to get a grip. But I was already hard. I wondered briefly if I'd ever had any control over myself when it came to my _pleasures_ before I got into whatever it was I had with Warren now.

My hands slid down from my face to press against either side of my neck. I hissed slightly, moving my left hand away.

Quick as I could, I yanked on a pair of jeans, put on the nearest long-sleeved shirt I could find and hurried out of my room into the bathroom. I placed a hand on the counter and leaned toward the mirror. I turned my head and looked at the mark under my pulse on the left side of my neck. It was a crossbreed between a red burn and a dark bruise…it was a _hickey_. Right in plain sight.

"Shit." I muttered. I felt a bit…well how any teenager would feel if they found a hickey on the side of their neck the dawn after an exotic nocturnal bout of magnificent, violent copulation with a tall, dark-haired, scorching man…and had to be sneaky and hide it from their Super parents, friends, and general everyday society.

He'd _never_ left a mark on me that I couldn't hide with a wristband or two, a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and my high-topped Converse.

I gingerly brushed it with my fingertips. I couldn't help it, so I smiled just a little bit. It was a mark of his sexual desire toward me, his affection. I brushed my hand up one side of my face and ran my fingers through my hair. I looked down into the sink and closed my eyes. I thought about his hands. How they gripped me, bruised me, burned me. His eyes. How they stared into mine with almost cruel pleasure. How strongly his muscles were tensed beneath my hands as I'd held on for the ride that nearly each time put me in a coma.

And then how we had just laid there. His arms gathering me into the warmth of his chest. The gentle, feathery stroking as he ran his fingers through my hair. His loving caress against my face. How he simply spoke to me. How we could have a conversation. Play video games. How I looked forward to even a fleeting moment in which he smiled.

_I love everything about you…_

"Hey, Will."

I jumped, whirling around. Mom was standing, leaned against the bathroom doorway, each hand holding her elbows. She was obviously dressed for a lazy day with her glasses, bare feet, jeans and her winged green shirt that hung off slightly off of one shoulder and her hair up in a ponytail.

I shrunk back slightly, looking guiltily to the ground.

They'd seen us last night, but I had done my best to forget that this secrecy couldn't last forever. Fear bubbled uncomfortably in my stomach. What was I supposed to say for myself? How was I going to explain? I don't think I could tell the truth…not yet by far.

_That'd be a great conversation…Hey Mom, hey Dad. Guess what, I've been having crazy, flaming, ferocious sex with the offspring of your arch nemesis, and it happens to be a boy…with a penis…and stuff…_

I glanced back to Mom. Her grayish blue eyes stared gently at me. And then she smiled softly. "Hickey?"

I blushed, swiftly looking to the floor again. Consciously, I reached to place my palm over the left side of my neck.

I heard her chuckle quietly. I glanced back up to her. She was still softly smiling. "I thought that might be it."

I waited for the scolding. The bereavement. The questions. The upset. The mistrust. Something. But she just said, "Wait here a minute. I'll be right back." And she turned and padded quietly downstairs.

I reached up and rubbed at my eyes. What the hell was going on?

First I get caught red-handed in the pool with another obviously naked body. She grabs Dad and takes off.

Then I get caught the next morning, checking out a hickey. She smiles and laughs gently.

_What is wrong with you, woman? What happened to the stern, suit-wearing Super Mom that stared indifferently down at me the day I got my powers because I'd nearly destroyed the cafeteria? Don't teens get an ultimatum when their parents find out that they're screwing around? _

After a brief hiatus of time, she came back into the bathroom and closed the door. And she set down her makeup bag on the counter?

She unzipped it and pulled out a bottle of skin-colored liquid. Cover-up? Mom was going to help me hide my hickey…?

She tapped some onto her fingers and she looked to me, tilting my head to the right lightly. "Let me see." And I felt her smear it gently across the mark. She rubbed it in as softly as she could and then went back into her bag for powdery skin-color blush or something. She brushed it over the mark briefly and then said, "There you go."

I looked at her as she repacked her makeup bag. Then I leaned toward the mirror, turning my head. It looked as if the mark had disappeared entirely. I raised my eyebrows, "Wow."

Mom chuckled, "I know. I'm pretty magical."

I looked at her. She smiled warmly at me and picked up her makeup bag. "Come on downstairs. We can make breakfast."

"Where's Dad?" I quickly asked.

She glanced over her shoulder at me, "He's out like a light. But he'll probably come crawling out of bed when he smells what we're cooking up."

And she went downstairs.

I looked into the mirror again after a moment. I turned my head and looked at where the mark was hiding. I figured it would be entirely healed in another night's sleep. I healed fastest when I was sleeping after all. I licked my lips and sighed quietly. I glanced after my mom. She wasn't forcing it. It seemed that she was taking a step back, giving me room. Giving me time to talk about it when I was ready to.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

It was turning out to be a steady Sunday. Not to the point of being ass-raped by a constant stampede of hungry people with a craving for Chinese food, but a gentle, steady flow of people who came in and out. It was pretty sunny outside so people were out leisurely walking, and coming in for lunch on a whim.

I was taking my lunch, sitting at one of the booths closer to the kitchen. I was indulging on some lo mein I'd just finished whipping up in the kitchen. Lan wasn't on shift. Shu seemed to not be PMSing for once. It was a little slow but steady as far as business went. It was turning out to be a tolerable Sunday.

Then a head of forest green hair sat down across from me. I didn't look up at him. That would encourage him. But I couldn't be silent, because that would make him think that he was in the right in sitting with me while I was eating.

"Buzz off, Dishwasher."

Zeke laughed, "Hey, that's the first thing I've heard you say all day!"

I simply crunched down hard on a water chestnut.

"C'mon. It's hardly ever that you're in a good mood. I figured I'd share my lunch with you, bask in the sunny warmth and unicorns emanating from you."

I shook my head at this nonsense. "Let me eat my lunch in peace, Moss Head."

"Nice of you to notice my hair."

I sighed, glancing up at the tree-headed nuisance. He was smiling brightly. I shook my head, "You irk me."

Zeke shook his head, his green bangs falling over his eyes. He held up a finger, "Au contraire. If I truly made you feel such angry, hateful feelings, you wouldn't say anything to me. You'd just punch me in the throat, knock me out of the booth and go back to eating."

"I'm contemplating it." I said, passing a forkful of noodles into my mouth.

"Zeke! Dude! You on break?"

Zeke and I looked over his shoulder. There were a couple of guys his age hanging around the front, waving to him. Two white. One black. I cocked an eyebrow at the taller white one. His red dreadlocks were just about to his knees and tied back. The black one had straightened black hair all spike up in the back and covering one side of his face in the front. The other white guy was wearing one of those stupid round-brimmed hats.

"Oh dear god, there's more of them." I muttered.

Zeke chuckled, "It's your lucky day. See you after lunch." He grabbed his plate and stood.

"Yeah, if I don't slit my wrists before you come back in the hope that I won't have to see your mug ever again in Hell." I muttered.

Zeke turned around and ate a forkful of rice. "You'll have to see me again one day in ten to fifty years anyways when I come down to join you."

I growled in warning and he trotted away, laughing to join his buddies to go outside.

I was alone again, hoping that it would stay that way.

But of course…it couldn't. Because my fucking _mom_ sat down in front of me, placing her briefcase on the seat beside her.

I raised my eyebrows and put down my fork. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

She snorted and smiled, "Hi, nice to see you too, Warren." She looked like she was fresh out of a meeting, all dressed up and sophisticated.

I shook my head, "I thought you were gone till Monday."

She shrugged, "Nah."

I glanced around, and looked down at my lo mein. It had been a while since I'd had a conversation with her. I didn't exactly know what to say.

"You hungry?" I asked.

She smiled and opened her mouth, but was cut off by an excited howl from Shu. "Ah! Angela! How ah you?"

Mom looked up at my short boss. "I'm doing well, Shu. How are you?"

"Ah! Bills, bills, bills!"

Mom laughed, "I hear that."

"I be right back. I get you orange chicken." And then Shu was fluttering back into the kitchen.

I bit the inside of my lip. It was quiet for a while. "How come you're not at that meeting? Isn't the Negotiator needed?"

She smiled, "For now no. The Negotiator is back to Peacemaker for the time being. So how are you?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

She nodded, "You seem happy."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, and I was reminded of that slight smile that had played her lips when she'd walked in to my room recently, seeing me all curled up with Stronghold.

She nodded again, "You really like him, don't you?"

I glared at her. "Stop analyzing me. You know I hate that." I hated how she wouldn't use more words. I hated how she would just put together my thoughts and responses by piecing together the puzzle of my feelings and emotions. It was like someone was speaking for me. It was like I never had a chance to defend myself.

She glanced down at the table, "Sorry. It's just that, you've never let someone spend the night that I've ever felt before. And you're feelings have never been this strong for someone before. I'm just curious."

I rubbed at my face, "Of course you're curious."

"If you don't want to talk about it with me,"

"I don't. You obviously know that. You obviously don't have to ask questions to know exactly how I feel about him, and how that affects me."

"Yes. I can. It confuses you. And it pisses you off." She said bluntly.

I'd forgotten that she knew how to swear.

"But that's okay." She said. "Because I think the good feelings overpowers those feelings." She smiled.

I shook my head, "Good to know."

Shu came out with a plate of orange chicken, decorated with broccoli. "Here you go, Angela! Wahhen, where's _Mò sī tóu_?"

Mom frowned and looked at me, "Moss Head?"

I smirked and chuckled. "He left with a couple of his friends. I'm sure he'll be back in time to do a shitty job, collect pay and be an overall pain in my ass."

Shu nodded, "He better." Then she turned and went back into the kitchen.

I looked back at Mom who was tasting the chicken. I pushed my lo mein toward her, "Here. I'm taking off for a little while." I stood and went to take a step back to the kitchen.

"Warren."

I paused and looked back at her, "What?"

She pressed her lips together briefly, and then said, "He looks a lot like...and your feelings kind of told me…and he seemed so much like…" She was trying to string together words, trying to leave out her analyzing methods and failing at it.

"Yes, Mom. He _is_ a Stronghold."

Her expression stilled and she smiled warmly at me. I could almost feel her studying my feelings further. I said, "I'll see you later." and I went back into the kitchen. I figured that she was probably overjoyed to know that I wasn't exactly out to kill the son of the man who put my father in jail for four lifetimes after finding out that I'd nearly annihilated the school's cafeteria and him along with it from a phone call from the principal. Maybe she was overjoyed to know that her son could feel something other than contempt.

Either way, I knew that she knew exactly where I was going for the remaining forty-five minutes of my hour lunch break.


	23. Ghost Rider

**Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to meee, happy birthday to me! ^_^**

**Well my beloved little sickos, in light of my birthday which was Sunday, March 4th, I decided to role reverse and hand you all a present. Of course...I uh meant to give it to you on Sunday. But alas, I didn't finish it before I fell asleep. And then I worked on it a little during school this week, and uh, guess I'm giving you a late birthday present! XDDD Excuse my laziness, there is a reason I have a flat butt! Partly because I sit on it all the time, but also because it's what my MOTHER gave me...**

**On the upside she also gave me nice legs! XDD**

**Seeing as I have turned 18, I think it's pretty amusing that now it's actually LEGAL for me to read and write this stuff...BAHAHAHA XD **

**I hope everyone still loves me. Based on the stats for this little story, and the comments and the constant messages telling how much all of you can't breathe and desperately need OXYGEN...bahaha, I laugh every time I hear that XDD I love you guys...But based on all of that bizz, you do still seem to love me. I'm hoping that I'm making your day right now when you log on and find an update all wrapped in pretty, imaginary black paper with a big red ribbon tied around it in my trademark bat-bow style! ^_^**

**I hope you enjoy this little ditty. Sadly there's no sexy-time, but quality-time. Will, good goddess are you _blushing_? And _shit_, someone else is getting in a little deep here ain't he? Mehehehe...oh our dear firebird...you DO care! **

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I jumped when I walked into the living room to get my guitar tuner which had somehow managed to find its way into the living room according to Mom. There was Dad's robot eye trophy from the first day of school when he'd punched in that giant robot's chest and plucked out its one robot eye as booty of battle. Right there sitting on the mantle…there was his uh…robot eye.

I glanced down at the coffee table, and sure enough there was my guitar tuner exactly where Mom had said it was. I looked back up at the robot eye…the big…creepy robot eye.

I stepped up to the coffee table and picked up my tuner, staring at the…robot eye.

"Dad?"

"Yiggy yodel?"

I quirked my eyebrows, glancing over my shoulder, "Okay uh…what did you just say?"

"Not working out?"

"No…no it's not…Uh, anyways, how come your…robot eye…is in the living room?" I called. "'Cause it wasn't in here this morning!"

Mom walked by the living room, still barefoot and lazy, with a book in one hand and a sandwich in the other. "He annihilated the display for that thing when I beat him in air hockey down in the sanctum a couple hours ago."

"Oh…" I muttered. But then I turned from the living room and hurried out the doorway, "Wait, there's an air hockey game down in the sanctum now?"

Mom didn't answer from where she'd disappeared into the office, most likely going to read in the piece of her lounger. Dad didn't answer either. So I shrugged and went upstairs to my room.

I closed my door behind me and flopped onto my bed. I dragged my acoustic toward me and sat on my mattress Indian-style with my tuner on the blankets in front of my. I pulled my guitar into my lap and flicked on the tuner.

The little screen lit up and the graphic pendulum appeared. I plucked my top E string and twisted the key to tune it when the pendulum swayed to the left, lighting up the flat indicator light. I heard something clack and hiss quietly. I looked up and around my room. "What the hell was…?"

I heard it again, and this time I saw what looked like a little flaming pebble hit my window before it fizzled out into nothingness.

_ Fire…_

I quickly set my acoustic aside and jumped from my bed, tripping over a…something which I didn't look at as I scrambled to my window. There he was, standing across the street. His hair hung around his face and his leather jacket kept the afternoon sun off of his skin.

And I caught the gaze of those dark eyes. And he smirked. Turned. And walked back down the sidewalk. I watched him for a few seconds before leaving my room hastily, practically jumping down the stairs four at a time. I got to the front door and yanked on my Converse, calling as I tied them, "Hey, Mom! I'm going for a walk!"

"I don't blame you! It's a nice day! Is Layla going with you?"

"Uh…I'm thinking about just going alone you know? Listen to my iPod. Dissolve in the peace of solitude." I answered back, using some her very own words that she'd added to her vocabulary upon reading yoga and relaxation books.

"Sounds nice! Got your cell phone?" She called.

I patted my pocket. My cell phone was still there. I'd previously been receiving texts from Zack that consisted of his freaking out over Magenta and how he felt about her and everything pertaining to it. I'd listened to his raving placidly, saying that he should just tell her. And then getting berated about how she might react and how he couldn't possibly do it. And then getting more woeful messages about how he felt about her, asking me what he could possibly do. It was the first time I had ever been witness to this circle of bipolar fool's love.

Admittedly I had lied to Zack, and said that I was going to spend some important family time with Dad to get out of talking to him about it anymore…

"Yeah, I got it!"

"Okay, I'll see you later then!" She bid me.

But I was already out the door. I hurried down the steps and jogged down to the sidewalk. I jogged further down the street, looking for him. A few blocks away near the bus stop, I saw him up ahead, backing his bike off of the sidewalk with his helmet in one hand. He looked over his shoulder at me. Those dark eyes caught mine in an expectant gaze. When I caught up to him, he stared quietly at me for a little while.

His gaze was soft, and affectionate. And it made me _blush_. I had never felt like that under his stare. I felt special…and _prized_.

He reached out with one gloved hand and placed his palm against the back of my neck. And he pulled me in toward him with gentleness. I closed my eyes. Then I felt him press a tender kiss onto my lips. He pulled away a moment or two afterward and looked at me with _care_ in his eyes.

He asked, "Want to go for a ride?"

I blinked, glancing at his bike and back into his eyes. "Just a ride." He said.

I glanced down the street and looked back into his eyes again. "Okay."

And then he smirked his closed-mouth smirk. But there was something different about it. His eyes. They had seemed to smirk before he actually did. And it made me lick my lips and swallow. Then it disappeared as he put on his helmet and did up the strap beneath his chin.

He brought the bike to life, and it rumbled, ready to gun as I climbed on behind him.

Without hesitation, I looped my arms around his waist and twined my fingers together against his stomach. And immediately I felt his warmth as I pressed myself against his back.

The bike growled loudly underneath me and he lifted his boot from the pavement. The motor roared as we took off down the street, leaving my neighborhood behind. I turned my head and pressed my cheek against the smooth leather covering his shoulder. I closed my eyes as the wind cut past us, and I breathed deeply in his scent.

That warm, leathery, spicy fire.

I tightened my arms around him a little.

And his gloved hand lifted from one handlebar and touched my entwined hands. He squeezed them slightly before returning his hand back to the handlebars.

I lifted my head and watched the streets go by.

My eyes squinted against the wind that whipped through my hair and made my long-sleeved shirt flap against my sides.

I saw unfamiliar faces for a brief three passing seconds as we went by.

I saw colors of the cars blend together gently in a neat earthy colored rainbow with a few sprinkles of bright colors from red cars, sometimes yellow, three or four oranges, and once a bright pink.

I looked up. The sun felt wonderful as it gleamed down on us. In the sky there were scattered carnivals of white, fluffy clouds. Streaking through the blue ocean hanging over us, I saw birds dancing through the air.

I looked over Warren's shoulder as he slowed to a stop at a red light. Cars pulled up behind us and beside us. There were cars on the other sides of the intersection, pausing a moment in their glorious Sunday, waiting to continue it. I felt like they didn't realize just how great this day was. To them, I thought, it was probably just another day. But I couldn't blame them. They weren't exactly mounted on a Harley right behind their lover who had fiery palms that claimed their bodies, and fucked them senseless on a reoccurring basis.

I glanced at the dark blue car beside us. The window was down and in the driver seat sat a young woman with milk chocolate skin, red eye shadow and short jet black hair. She looked at me with stunning green eyes. She smiled at me, lifted a hand from the steering wheel of her car, gestured between me and Warren, and _waggled_ her eyebrows at me.

Good god, I couldn't help it, I smiled and laughed.

But suddenly Warren grabbed my interlaced hands, and turned his head in his helmet over his left shoulder. I turned my head the other way and looked at the dark shade. And I heard him say, "Hold on tight and keep your head down against my shoulder."

"What? But,"

"There's a cop over there, and he doesn't seem to care that you don't need a helmet."

I felt a swift shiver race down my spine and my hands started to shake. I resisted looking around for the car with the red and blue lights on top of it. I quickly ducked my head against his shoulder just as the light turned green and the bike took a hard left as Warren lifted his boot from the blacktop.

_Shit, shit, _shit_, shit, shit! _I was fucking scared. I was thinking about getting handcuffed to a bench in a police station. The angry, shocked faces of my mom and dad when they came to bail me out. And then my stomach twisted in a knot when the image of Warren getting popped, blood dripping down his chin, shoved into the ground, cuffs forced onto his wrists.

And I almost had a heart attack when I heard the starting wail of the sirens. "Ahh shit!" I yelled, burying my face in Warren's shoulder as the motor in his bike roared when he twisted the throttle.

I had no idea how fast we were going, or where we were. I was afraid to look, and I could feel the bike weaving between cars, and hear the sirens. And on top of it, I could hear people yelling at us and honking their horns. Some were angry. But some were cheering us on for some reason.

"Go boys go!"

"Harleys foh-evah, bitch!"

"Fuck the po-po!"

"Gun it, man!"

I closed my eyes tightly against Warren's leather-clad shoulder, "Ahhhh, we are so, so, so, so _fucked_!"

"S'alright, Stronghold!" Warren yelled from under his helmet. And all of a sudden the bike veered right so sharply I heard garbage cans clutter to the ground and Warren's boot skidding hard against the gravel.

"AH!" I cried out, gripping Warren's waist with appalling force. Fearsome, fiery hotness surrounded me. My shoulders and my arms burned lightly with prickling heat. And the wind lashed through my hair like a whip and I could feel it all around me. I could feel fire licking at my temples and the echoing screech of the bike's tires and the sudden jerk that I had to the right.

And it all stopped. Warren's motorcycle went silent. Everything was still.

The sirens still wailed below me.

_Wait a…what the hell?_

I opened my eyes and lifted my head from Warren's shoulder. The sunlight was glaring down into my eyes. I felt Warren's gloved hand touch my twined hands gently. He groaned with a chuckle, "Stronghold…you're breaking me."

"I'm sorry!" I cried, jumping back away from Warren. And I fell off of the back of his bike in the process…

I hit hard concrete with a hard thud. I lifted my head and looked around. "Holy crap…" I was on the roof of a _building_!

Warren turned, taking off his helmet. And good god, he _smiled_ down at me, and he _laughed_. It made my heart jump to me throat. I'd never seen him smile like that, teeth gleaming and eyes bright. I'd never heard him laugh like that, never heard more than a chortle of amusement emanate from him.

It was a feast for my eyes and ears.

He flicked the kickstand on his bike down with the heel of his boot. He swung one long leg back over the motorcycle and rose up to his full height, setting his helmet down on the seat. He walked across the roof of the building, stepping around some pipes and he peered over the edge where the siren had become silent.

"Where the hell'd they go?"

"You sure they turned down the alley?"

Warren crouched down, placing a hand on the fence of bricks separating him from the edge. He looked over at me, still lying where I'd fallen. He smirked lightly and looked back over the edge. I rolled onto my side, taking a few moments to look around. Other buildings around the city were higher than this one, but I felt like we were still pretty high. There was graffiti decorating the bricks all around me, some impressive, others not so much.

But the real impressive thing was how I'd ended up riding a motorcycle to the top of a building…

I looked over at Warren who was crouching beside the bricks, one hand settled atop of them. He brushed his hair behind one ear and I felt my heart jump. He looked at me with a gentle smirk. "Sorry about your shirt."

Hell, I hadn't even noticed that the fabric of my long-sleeved blue shirt had burned away all the way up the sleeves and along my upper chest. I was a bit too busy gazing at the pyro. I didn't get it. I mean sure, I understood the fact that my dad appreciated my mom's hair when it was up in a lazy ponytail…

I knew I was blushing up a red cloud storm directly under the sun's rays on top of this building. I attempted to look down at my shirt and pick at the cuffs that still hung around my wrists connected by the thin, burned and frayed cloth. "It's…okay…uh…"

I heard his boots scrape against the rooftop and he came over to me. He crouched down beside me, touched my jaw with one gloved hand and asked, "You alright, Stronghold?" His voice was a bit too husky and his breath was a little too close to my lips to be genuinely concerned.

My hands snaked around his neck and I welcomed him in as he pressed his fiery lips against mine. All too heated under his warmth and the sun, my fingers dragged through his long hair. His strong arms hooked around my body, crushing me in close. He seized my breath, grazing his teeth against my bottom lip. My heart raced in my chest, excited by this closeness, and possibly the adrenaline that had stampeded through my body when I had been involved in an actual car chase…motorcycle chase…?

All too quickly he pulled away, brushing his fingertips against my face. He smiled apologetically at the disappointment in my eyes. He glanced down at my visibly burned arms and reached behind his back, shrugging his leather jacket from his shoulders and pulling the sleeves from his wrists. He set his jacket down and pulled up the hem of his dark, long-sleeved phoenix shirt.

The sun touched his skin, casting small shadows in the grooves of his muscles. He pulled his shirt over his head and paused, catching me staring at him. He cocked an eyebrow and smirked at me as I blushed, averting my gaze. He chuckled, "I'd hate for you to have to explain. Not many parents like to hear that their kid ran from the cops, and flamed to the top of a building to escape on a goddamned motorcycle."

"You can fly?" I asked, amazed.

He chuckled, "Combustion _is_ the cause of most forms of transportation." He reached for the hem of my what was left of my shirt and pulled it up. I lifted my arms for him, obliging him. When he pulled the burned cloth over my head, I lowered my arms and said, "Yeah, but this was like…freakin' Ghost Rider-style!" beaming in awe as I did.

He shook his head, handing over his phoenix shirt, "You watch too many movies."

I held the warm cloth in my hands briefly as he slipped on his leather jacket. I slipped my arms daintily into the sleeves, and pulled it over my head, dragging the hem down to my waist. It was a couple of sizes too big for me, and the sleeves were a bit too long. But it felt like I was wrapped entirely in his embrace. It was still extremely warm from his body heat, and it smelled strongly of him.

Warren zipped his leather jacket up to his collar and reached to my hands. I watched as he quietly rolled the cuffs up for me. Then his hands traveled up my arms and cupped my face, pulling me gently in for a kiss. I did my best to keep control over myself. But of course, I couldn't help it. My fingers slid into his hair, my body shifted into his, my tongue brushed over his lips.

And he pulled away with a longing grunt. For a minute or too he looked down between us. But eventually he looked back up to my eyes and said, "I have to take you back home. I gotta get back to work."

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

"Wow, look who's back! And _six and a half_ minutes late! Dearie me, darling!"

I ignored the stupid, snot-headed fuck as I came in through the back door. I unzipped my leather jacket and hung it up.

"Hey, weren't you wearing a _different_ shirt?" Zeke asked quizzically from where he worked, elbows deep in dishwater. And I could hear that smile in his voice, knowing that he was agitating me.

But I further did my best to ignore him, consciously pulling the hem of my black t-shirt down with one fist.

"Bì zuǐ, Mò Sī Tóu! Wahhen, cǎiqǔ zhèxiē chū shí liǎng biǎo!" _Shut up, Moss Head! Warren, take these out to table twelve! _Shu barked, shaking up the woks and nodding her head at four plates sitting on the counter, steam rising from them.

"Is Mò Sī Tóu me?" Zeke asked, smiling over his shoulder as he stacked dishes in a tray and slid it into the dishwasher.

Shu glanced over her shoulder at Zeke. I went around the counter, tying an apron around my waist. Shu looked under the shelf at me, and hissed through her teeth with her slanted, dark eyes serious, "Wǒ yào kǎn tā de qiē ròu dāo." _I'm going to chop him with the meat cleaver._

I growled back, balancing a plate on each well-trained forearm and gripping another one in each hand, "Shì a, tā mā de shù." _Yeah, well, take a fucking number. _I kicked the door open with my foot and left the kitchen with the order.


	24. April Fools

**Hello my beloved little sickos…I have some very bad news…**

**Sadly, I am completely tied up with my school work. It's the final quarter of my last year in high school. I have so much crunch-time work to do from homework, class final exams, college credit exams in my AP classes, my Senior Musical, my martial arts tournament, fitness time in the weight room, car payments, searching for an apartment, searching for a job…**

**And I won't be able to continue writing Oxygen…yeah…I'm really, truly sorry everyone, but I'm going to have to discontinue Oxygen.**

**I hope that you'll all understand and forgive me. I love you all.**

**Bye. And sorry again…**

**Tawny**


	25. Monday Mornings

**AHAH! APRIL FOOLS! I WOULD NEVER DISCONTINUE A STORY MY BELOVED LITTLE SICKOS! IT IS SO NOT MY STYLE!**

**I'm really so sorry haha. I was going to keep this joke going until I got up for school tomorrow morning. But I just couldn't take it. I kept getting comments expressing regret and pleading, and messages of sadness and begging! I COULD NOT TAKE IT ANY LONGER!**

**I hope you can all forgive me my lovely little sickos! I love you all so much! -huggles all of my little sicko imps- Very much I love you all! I hope for realzies that you won't be mad at me for too long! As a sorry, I'm even giving you an update. **

**I had to cut it a little short seeing as my heart was breaking because of all of the depressing messages and comments. I was writing it whilst it was all going down and finally I broke down and screamed out loud, upsetting my cat who had been chilling in my laundry basket of clean, folded laundry: "THIS BLASPHEMY! THIS MADNESS MUST STOP RIGHT NOW!" **

**But don't worry everyone, I'll make sure the next chapter is wonderfully brillian just for you! I really love you all and I really do hope you'll forgive me. I'd never abandon you with an unfinished story. It's happened to me before with some of my favorite writers and I know it sucks! It ain't right so I ain't gonna ever let ya'll go! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Oh by the way, Gossamer98 has made a fanart and I want you all to go see it! I have the link here below, but I had to cut it up a little because it doesn't let you post links. Everyone send that Gossamer ball of talent some lovin's! And maybe you could give me some lovin's too!**

******http :/ /** bexifinch. livejournal. com /102 92. html

**Oh and a cookie for 'book reader-lover of 3000' for being the only one to really suspect my April Fools. ^_^ Love you all babies!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I laid on my side on my bed. It was dark in my room as night rocked most of the city to sleep. I drew the sleeves of his shirt over my hands. And then I held them to my nose, and breathed deeply, closing my eyes as I did.

It smelled strongly of him. His leathery, spicy fire scent.

It felt like I was lying in his embrace, entirely surrounded by him. It reminded me of the night I'd spent pressing his handkerchief to my nostrils, trying to draw in his scent. But it hadn't been there. It felt so long ago now.

I could smell him this time. This time my senses weren't greeted by the dull smell of the soap from the school bathrooms. It was his scent. And it filled me with a deep sense of comfort, longing and affection.

In my head, I regressed to the wordless moments we used to share. How he hardly spoke two words to me anytime he was around. Just fucking me into blissful, mind-numbing paralysis. Not that I was complaining at all about that, because I did love that part. But now he was talking with me. Hell, I played video games with him not long ago! Video games! And today, I'd just gone for a simple ride with him on the back of his motorcycle.

Sure it had turned into a car chase which had taken a turn for the Nicolas Cage when his motorcycle had made its way to the top of a building for a daring, fiery escape, but other than that, it had been almost leisurely. It felt like I belonged where I was, straddling the back of his motorcycle with my arms looped around his waist. I felt closer to him on a level that I had never felt before, no matter how melded our bodies were during any period of sex.

Pleasant memories of his deep, smooth voice passed through my mind and the image of his smile. Not his smirk. But his smile. And it made me feel very warm, as if he were actually here, holding me. My thoughts and the shirt upon me cradled me gently away to sleep with a drowsy smile on my lips.

* * *

All too soon I was startled awake by my alarm. I stared at the stupid thing before slapping it with a sleeve hanging over my hand. How dare it interrupt my dreams! They were so wonderful! But what were they about…?

I furrowed my eyebrows, stifling a yawn with his hand as I climbed out of bed. I made sure my door was shut and turned on the light. Then I checked my legs for noticeable burns. It had become routine to me from hanging around a dark-eyed young man who had a tendency to submit me to pleasurable torture with his flaming hands and skin. I tried to grasp any recollection of my dream by the slightest as I buttoned up a pair of knee-length shorts. I reached to the hem of his shirt and paused, hesitant to take off the fabric scented by my…lover.

But eventually I reluctantly pulled it from my body and placed it gingerly on the end of my bed. I turned back and went to my closet for a long-sleeved shirt. There were still faint mementos of my ride with Warren yesterday on my arms and chest so a shirt with short sleeves and a relaxed collar was _not_ acceptable. And the second I pulled the hem down to my waist, the bejesus was scared out of me when my alarm clock went off _again_. I practically flew over to my nightstand, and firmly hit the snooze bar.

The thing silenced. But I swore, "Shit…"

I picked it up and examined it. It was crushed only a little bit, the numbers were still lit up, just a little bit dimmer. I licked my lips and gingerly set it back down, switching off the alarm. I shook my head at the pathetic little thing, silently apologizing to it for hitting it a little too hard. I chuckled as I collected my backpack, "Hi, I'm Joseph and I'm a battered alarm clock." I briefly thought of a vast circle of all kinds of alarm clocks that surely got the harder swing of their owners' hands in the mornings.

I glanced at the end of my bed and picked up Warren's phoenix shirt. I fingered the reddish fabric in the front of the stitched firebird. It was like a crest of his kingdom; a representation of his power. I held it to my nose, and breathed in deeply like I was addict and this was my fix.

I folded the shirt into my backpack, pulling the zipper closed as I exited my room. I went downstairs and dropped my bag by the door, ready for pickup once I was ready to head out the door. I went to the kitchen and found it empty. I shrugged at my aloneness and went to the fridge. I lifted out some orange juice and poured myself a glass, just as I heard the door open.

I turned, a hopeful smile brightening my face. Was he here this early? "Oh," I turned back to the cupboard and got down another glass for my visitor. "Hi Layla."

Layla put on a dramatized, sarcastic face, "Jeez, nice to see you _too_, Will!" And she pretended the slam the door, but closed it quietly and gently at the last moment.

I laughed and she followed suit. "No!" I said, "I didn't mean for it to sound like that." Layla nodded and sat down at the table, placing her flowery messenger bag on the floor beside her. "I know. So what's up?"

I poured her a glass of orange juice and went around the island to hand it to her. "Nothing. Just being an awesome friend by making you orange juice."

She took it gracefully with a nod, "Why thank you, William."

I bowed slightly, adopting a Jeeves the Servant accent, "Indeed you are welcome, Miss Layla."

Layla smiled and took a sip. "Wow. It feels like _forever_ since we've really hung out. I missed this." I picked my glass and took a complimentary sip as well before going back around the island to the cupboards to look for breakfast. "Yeah. Sorry I've been so busy."

"You've been busy?"

I paused and glanced over my shoulder, unsure whether or not she was being playfully sarcastic again. "Um…yes?"

Layla shrugged, "Oh. Well, I wouldn't have known. I thought_ I_ was the one who was busy." She took another sip.

I pulled the bread down from the cupboard, realizing that I hadn't really much been involved with my friends for a while. I wondered what they'd been up to. If they were having as much of a good time as I was, and if they knew…

"What've you been doing?" I asked, digging through the cupboard again, looking for the jar of sweet heaven that was called _Nutella_.

"Doing homework and studying with Ethan. I helped Zack with his herbology project. I got asked out on a d…" I paused in my searching, and put two slices of bread in the toaster when I noticed that I hadn't yet. "You got asked on-to-out-a-what?"

"Uh…a tour…" Layla responded and she quickly moved on. "And I went to see a movie with Magenta yesterday night…but that was a…horrible…_horrible_ mistake."

I finally found the _Nutella_ and I held to my chest in fear as I turned around. "She didn't mentally abuse the lady behind the counter again did she?"

Layla shook her head, staring blankly into space, "No, she's not allowed in that theatre anymore."

"Assault a ten year old trying to get the paper thing off a straw?"

Layla shook her head, her eyes deadening somewhat.

"Then what did she do." I asked, worried for the conclusion.

"She dumped her slushy in the lap of a whispering man who was sitting two rows in front of us…" Layla finally answered with a sigh.

I let out a slight sigh as well and shook my head. "Poor, poor man." Then I opened the jar and spread it on my toast when it popped out of the toaster. "I didn't know that Maj liked slushies." I said thoughtfully. Layla shrugged in return.

Then I turned around and leaned against the counter, biting into my breakfast. I'm pretty sure my eyes rolled upward in food ecstasy since what I was consuming what was most likely the best invention on the planet…

"Will?"

"Hmm?" I moaned quietly.

"Where are your parents? Did they get a call?"

I turned around to look at Layla, still eating my toast. "I don't know. I think they might still be sleeping. I usually feel a disturbance in the force when they slide down into the sanctum."

Layla shook her head at me, "I'm sure you do. Well, finish your toast, and brush your teeth so we can catch the bus."

"You can't make me _rush_ eating this amazing _perfection_!" I exclaimed, waving my brilliant breakfast threateningly at her. "That is highly absurd." Then I crunched back down on my toast.

* * *

Just a regular, pleasant morning. Ron Wilson, bus driver gave us his usual "Morning!" Ethan talked about his studies, Zack awkwardly said things to Magenta to get her attention, Layla nodded and listened to Ethan while giving Zack apologetic looks, the bus had a bumpy landing, and I walked up the steps into that school to greet another Monday morning.

Once I got to my locker, the evil force that is a Monday morning started to lean heavily and annoyingly on my shoulder. Everyone gets that bitch slap from Monday morning once in a while, no matter how good their weekend was or how good they slept or how good the sex is with their pyrokinetic lover.

I shook my head, trying the combination into my locker again. It took me two more tried to get the stinking thing open. And just as I crouched down to unload my bag on the floor, I felt a boot shove into my back which caused my body to bang into the lockers. "Oof!"

I looked up and saw Warren walking away from me down the hallway. Some people looked my way and at Warren as he continued clearing a path for himself as students stepped out of his way. They whispered and murmured to each other all about how he and I were archenemies, how my father busted his, how Warren Peace would gladly kill me right to death with no care for the consequences.

I ducked my head, hiding my smile at the fading ache of the boot mark on the base of my spine. "If only they knew, if only, if only." I muttered to myself.

"Jeez, Will, you okay?"

I glanced over my shoulder up at Zack, "Yeah, I'm good."

The big blonde sat down on the bench in front of my locker, "Dude, why don't you just send him through a wall again or something? I wouldn't take that!"

I cocked an eyebrow at him as I loaded my locker, "Zack, you got shoved into a locker four times last week."

Zack lowered his gaze, "Yeah, I know, I'm working on my self-confidence."

I smiled, "Relax. You're spending too much time locked up in that big head of yours." I shut my locker and slung my bag over my shoulder. Zack stood and followed me as I weaved through the busy hallway, "You seem awfully cheery for a Monday morning."

I shrugged, "Good night's sleep?"

And then there was a chorus of high-pitched, hysterical screaming coming from down the hallway. A foul, awful…horrifyingly putrid smell washed over us in a wave and I quickly covered my mouth and nose with a hand with a gag. People paused in their business, looking around the next corner and quickly backing away, covering their noses.

Zack grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his mouth and nose, coughing, "Oh god…"

Then I heard a quiet whisper, "Told you it would _drip_ out of her locker."

I looked over my shoulder and found Magenta, her eyes smug and her purple bandana tied over her face. She looked like some sort of evil, gothic, purple cowgirl. Layla stood beside her, her eyes watery and her little flowery handkerchief over her nose.

I shook my head behind my hand, "I will not be made accessory for this. Can they prove that this was you?"

Magenta shook her head, "The camera angles don't cover her locker and the only ones who know about are here in this cute little circle."

"What where's Ethan?" Zack asked.

Layla answered, "He ran into the men's room to vomit a minute or two ago." Magenta shrugged, "Ah. Oh well. I don't care if I get in trouble. C'mon. Class starts up soon and I'd like to remove myself from this foul stench."

I gagged again behind my hand, turning and following them, "Was it worth poisoning the air, Maj?" "Hell, yes." Magenta said, guileless and unmoved. I shook my head in disbelief, "Forget my archenemies, there's a _villain_ in my closest circle of friends! Help me! I need an adult!"

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

Aside from the rancid smell stinking up the hallways earlier this morning, Monday in this hell hole of a school was somewhat pleasant. People were staying the hell out from under my boots. My thoughts were avoiding me like the plague and I was actually for once not being ailed with a craving for nicotine. And to top it off, there was just an explosion in the Mad Science lab that covered that Speed asshole in boils.

And wouldn't you know it, while I was wandering the halls, happily removing myself from the goop covered Mad Science lab, I saw Stronghold go into a bathroom. And for a second as I walked leisurely toward that bathroom, I thought back to the first time I'd cornered him in a men's room. Checked out my handiwork from the day before. Pressed on that giant, dark bruise on his stomach and saw him relish it and get hard from the pain.

I waited a moment and then pushed open the door. The hinge squeaked as the door moved in. I stepped into the bathroom, letting the door shut behind me. Stronghold was just zipping up. He trotted over to a sink and started washing his hands. Just as a precaution, I locked the door.

Then I smirked and walked forward, a hand still tucked into my pocket.

He saw my reflection at the last second as I came up behind him. He blushed and smiled, "Hey." He turned off the water and brushed the water off of his hands into the sink. He tried to turn around, but I grasped his sides to keep him still. He grunted and laughed, "Okay, if this is about getting your shirt back,"

"Indeed yes. That was my favorite shirt." I said with a nod, one of my hands slipping under his shirt and brushing over his stomach.

"If you ever want to see your favorite shirt again, you have to kiss me right now." He said, trying to sound like the classic evil villain and failing at it.

As one hand caressed his stomach, the other trailed up his chest and turned his head one way. He closed his eyes as I leaned closely. And just like he demanded, I kissed him. I gathered his lip into my mouth and brushed my tongue against it. His hands touched mine. His tongue traced my lip in return. And then he captured _my_ lip in between _his_ teeth.

I chuckled, "Well look who's learning."

Stronghold licked his lips and swallowed, seeming to be reaching for recomposure. "Yeah…Um…I have your shirt in my locker, so if you wanna just walk down the hall with me I can," I shook my head, "No. You can give it to me later. I'm gonna pick you up after my shift."

I pressed my lips to the nape of his neck and he breathed in blissfully, still touching my hands. "What're we gonna do? Have a Rambo-style bike and car chase scene?"

I shook my head, "Did I not say to you that you watch too many movies?"

He nodded with a gentle shrug, "I guess you did."

"Yeah. Sorry to crush your hopes, but I don't think there's going to be another chase scene. I'm just gonna pick you up, and we'll go back to my place." I leaned in and kissed him again. I slipped my tongue in between his lips. Stronghold's fingers grasped my wrists tightly as I massaged my tongue against his, tasting him. He leaned back into me, whimpering in his throat. His grip on one of my hands loosened and then released me. With my free hand I touched his jaw, tilting his head slightly.

I shivered with a grunt when I suddenly felt his hand grasp my dick through my jeans. "Fuck…" He'd never touched me there before and it sent shocks of pleasure through my fiery veins. My hand slid down his stomach, fingers slipping into the waistband of his shorts.

And then the door handle to the bathroom rattled and a palm slapped against the door. "Whoa! Dude, can you open the door? Please? I really gotta, kinda like, you know, c'mon man! Anyone in there?"

I sighed, leaning down against the nape of Stronghold's neck, feeling him pant heavily. I pulled away from him, and kissed him gently, "I'll pick you up."

"O-okay."

"Slip out behind me." I said, going over to the door. I unlocked it and yanked it open. I seized a couple of handfuls of bright yellow t-shirt and slammed the big, bleach blonde boy up against the wall next to lockers. It was Stronghold's big, awkward surfer guy friend who was rumored to glow.

"You know, I really _don't_ like being interrupted." I hissed.

"Oh, holy crapping hell, good god, please don't," he stammered. He closed his eyes in fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stronghold slip out of the bathroom. He seemed shocked and worried to see his friend being held in the air up against the wall. So I quickly said, "You're lucky I just about finished my cig." I let the blonde down from the wall and gave him a good shove into the bathroom, "Go on before you piss down your leg."

I glanced at Stronghold as the door shut. He looked a little relieved that I didn't punch his friend out. I shrugged, turned and started down the hallway. Behind me I heard the bathroom door squeak open again and Stronghold faintly say, "Oh. Hey, Zack. What's up?" The kid was becoming a pretty good actor…

"DUDE!" was the last thing I heard and it was an exasperated yell from the blonde.


	26. Something New and Blue

**Oh dear my darling little sickos, I seem to be a cruel, inconsistant bitch! I mean, first I post a naughty April Fools prank and I get most of you crying! Then after proving that a lie, I post hours later and then place you in Oxygen Chastity for a month! How a horrible, wicked wench I am! **

**Admittedly, I have been busy and I've been working on this chapter in my spare time which I seem to not have anymore haha. I finally got a new job at a restaurant...DUN DUN DUN! Yes I know I said I'd never touch the food industry after my hellish job as a Dishwasher (haha Zeke). But here I am. And I am the Hostess with the Mostess! Despite being occaisonally too enthusiastic, I am beloved by my waitresses and the other hostesses and liked by my chefs and the WELL-TREATED dishwashers! Haha, I have to take my hat off to Marty (the owner and my big boss). We treat our dishwashers quite well. No tubs full of food, dishes, cups and other various bussed shit.**

**We scrape plates, and stack them nicely on the table in front of the large sinks with a NOZZLE. We empty glasses and stack those as well. We place silverware in a little warm tin of water for them as well! No combing through Everything-On-the-Menu Soup! HAW! **

**On my application, I wrote my times available after school, and that I was available generally anytime on the weekend. Apparently to them that means ALL THE FUCKING TIME. We're short-staffed but hey, bigger percentage of the waitress's tips for me! And I get paid in cash again! YAY! **

**And then preparing for two AP exams, and prom, and Senior Trip and the Senior Musical production of You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (I'm Lucy...HAWHAW), and various amounts of other myriads of things that take up my time...I hardly have time to paint my nails black, I'M SO TIRED! I mean it's 11:16 right now and I just spent the past couple hours straightening out my prom attire situation and then I continued this chapter...**

**I didn't want to end the chapter there, but I needed to get this out to you my darlings to make up for lost time. I love you all very much. Be patient with me. I'd never not finish something I started, even if it takes a while. Stay with me my loyal little sickos! For the next chapter will have le sexy time, omnomnom! SO...yeah this chapter has no sexy time...V_V **

**NOW EXCUSE ME WHILE I HAVE THE DARKNESS CARRY ME DOWN INTO SLEEP! HEARTS AND BATS TO YOU MY PRETTIES!**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

It took a little while to get Zack to calm down. But I eventually got him to come out from hiding in the bathroom stall. And it took me some more time to get him out of the bathroom altogether. But I got him out, and he was calmed down again. I walked him back to class and got a bright greeting from All American Boy who jumped out from under his desk when I came in the room.

I accepted a hearty handshake from the guy. I guess I hadn't thought about it when he'd said it on the first day of school, but blue really did make his eyes pop. I glanced around the classroom nostalgically, thinking of the brief training I'd had in here in becoming a sidekick. The class looked happy to see me. It'd been a while since I'd been in the room.

All American Boy took off his mask, becoming Mr. Boy. He asked, "How's Hero class working out for you?"

I smiled half-heartedly, "It's a lot harder but it's okay. I miss your class though."

Mr. Boy nodded apologetically.

Ethan looked up from his notes and said, "Well at least you have a tutor."

I nodded, "Yeah, Gwen's a big help." I glanced at the board and saw that they'd been taking notes on how to take on a villain's sidekick. There was even a very good chalk portrait of a funny looking villain sidekick with pointy shoes and curvy little horns.

"I hope I'm not interrupting class." I said worriedly, shifting toward the door. Mr. Boy shook his head, "Oh no, Will. We just finished taking notes on Villainous Sidekick Combat. I was just telling the class about when The Commander took on Royal Pain for the last time and I had to grapple with his sidekick, Stitches." He pointed at the portrait on the board. "That's a rough sketch of him."

"You were there?" I asked.

Mr. Boy nodded with a sigh, "Yeah, I guess your dad never mentioned that…"

I shook my head, sadly confirming it. Mr. Boy sighed again, staring into space briefly. At that point I made a note to talk to Dad about his former sidekick. I thought about how he hadn't even remembered Mr. Boy's name when I'd confessed to him about my being a sidekick. It wasn't right and it just wasn't fair. Just because he was Mr. Stronghold, big shot, renown realty salesmen and the Commander, the biggest, most famous Super Hero didn't mean he should be the most arrogant one. I frowned for a moment and then sighed through my nostrils. Warren had said something along the same lines to me the first time he'd ever even said anything to me.

That had been after I'd sent my lunch tray flying over his shoulder when Lash had tripped me. _You think you can do anything you want just because your name's Stronghold?_

I turned to pay attention to Mr. Boy when he'd leapt up onto his desk, telling another story in his most dramatic manner, blue eyes popping through his mask. My eyes may have watched, and my mouth might have smiled but I was still thinking about Warren.

It was no secret how Warren felt about the Stronghold name. About how he felt about my father. It was something that I occasionally heard about while walking the halls. The whispers. _When do you think Peace and Stronghold are gonna have at it again?_ The glances. _Stronghold's dad put Peace's dad in the slammer for four lifetimes. Yeah, he hates his guts. _The wonderings. _Who do you think would win this time around? _

They all thought the predictable thing. And as I kept reminding myself, there was no predicting anything about Warren Peace. In the beginning of the year, I never would have expected to be where I was now. Warren had once been an occasional icy glare across the cafeteria, the dark eyes that glared down at me if I crossed his path in the hallways. His physical assault had not been so sensual once. I thought briefly about how he had left me curled up in the fetal position on the floor of the equipment room the first day of school.

How had it all turned into this? I hadn't really asked myself this.

_If you ever cross me again, I'll roast you alive._

How had it come from so much hatred? I had no idea…

* * *

"I don't suppose you have a conscience, do you Magenta?" Ethan asked as the bus drove through the streets of Maxville. We'd been talking quietly about her little mode of revenge that had been found this morning. The culprit had not yet been caught, and the hallways still reeked faintly of rotting meat and fly spawn.

Magenta wasn't really paying attention however. She was slumped down with her knees up on the bus seat and she was observing the purple colored streaks in her hair between her fingers. "I think I need to re-dye my streaks…it looks like they're fading," she turned slightly toward Layla who was sitting on the inside beside her, holding out her purple hair. "Doesn't it look like they're fading?"

I hadn't really noticed, but now that I looked at her streaks, they did indeed look like they'd faded.

Layla humored the mastermind and looked closely at her hair. "Yes, I think they're more lavender than imperial purple."

_Warren's red streaks never seem to fade..._

Magenta shook her head with a sigh and turned back away. Ethan adjusted his glasses, "I guess I'll take that as a no." Magenta finally decided to participate in the conversation, still studying her faded hair. "I do happen to have a conscience. It's buried in the backyard in a box with the bones of your recently deceased _pet_."

I leaned my head back against the seat, smiling lightly at the small talk. Magenta with her usual joking carelessness (at least I _hoped_ she was joking) was a welcome thing for me, as long as she wasn't giving me the thousand eyed stare that knocked my pupils out of my eyes so she could climb inside and scrutinize every bit of my being.

And when the bus rolled to a stop in White Hills, I pushed myself up from my seat. Layla snuck around Magenta behind me, pointing at her, "You have to start behaving, missy."

"Oh please, I'm shaking in my purple pantyhose." Magenta retorted impassively.

Ron Wilson, bus driver, gave us a smiling nod, "See you tomorrow!"

"See ya, Ron." I said over my shoulder before hopping down the steps of the bus and onto the sidewalk. Layla joined me down on the sidewalk as the doors closed behind us. And then the bus gave a rumbling grumble, pulling away from the bus stop and riding leisurely down the street.

"So, what're you doing tonight?" I asked. I tucked my hands into my pockets and said, "I have some homework I guess."

Layla laughed, "You guess?"

I laughed in my response, "Yeah, I guess…And I have no idea what my parents are plotting for this evening." Layla smiled as we walked together, "I have some homework too. But I have um…plans for this evening…"

"Is that so?" I inquired, "What kind of plans?"

Layla blushed, "Well…I haven't told anyone but Magenta…well, I didn't exactly tell her, she just knew somehow…but anyways, I'm kind of…going on a date?"

My eyebrows rose. "_Really_?"

Layla giggled nervously, twiddling and wringing her fingers as we walked. "Yeeeah…at the Paper Lantern." I grimaced and laughed. "Oh, yay, Chinese food. Always _romantic_. GAG!" She gave my arm a light push, "Be quiet."

"Who's your date?" I asked.

She bit her smile, still blushing, "Well, he's a Junior. It's…Silvanus."

I cocked my eyebrow, "Who?"

"Everyone calls him Stagboy?" Layla tried.

"Oh…Oh!" I exclaimed. The image of him came to my mind. I didn't have any classes with him, not even gym. But I'd seen him in the hallways and in the cafeteria. He was Hero class. He had long brown hair that was always tied back and forest green eyes that were easily spotted across a room. He was probably about Warren's height.

I'd never seen it before, but according to the words of others, Silvanus Lombardi's power was the transformation into a half man-half deer with great antlers and the call over nature and its creatures.

"Whoah, wait a minute, is that what you were stuttering about this morning?" I asked, laughing and dancing around her as we walked. "Are you embarrassed? Layla! How could you _not_ tell me? How could you tell Magenta first instead of _me_?" I seized my heart in my ten-fingered grasp. "Your best friend! I—am—hurt!" I dropped my hands after I said that and sheepishly tucked them back in my pockets. I realized that I'd been doing the exact same thing for weeks, except it had all been more than a simple date, so I had absolutely _no_ room to talk whatsoever…

"Hey! I said that I didn't actually tell Maj! She just knew…and that's different! You're a guy…" she said, pushing me again.

"You had no problem telling me that you were the one who left a pretty little sunflower in Timmy Rogers' cubby back in the second grade because he said he really liked sunflowers and _you_ really liked _him_!" I teased, raising a hand as if in exasperation. But I tucked it back into my pocket, because once again…I had _no_ room to talk.

"Yeah I guess that's true. But that was in second grade." Layla smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Well, as long as I'm spilling my guts here, I guess I might as well make another confession …" She looked at me nervously and I looked at her patiently. I did my best to swallow the lump forming in my throat. For a moment I strayed away from what we'd been talking about, wanting her to say that she knew what I'd really been up to lately. It would've saved me from having to tell her. But then again it wasn't exactly all about me now was it?

"I had a crush on Ethan."

"Eh…wha…?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know if it's past tense _yet_." She explained. "I mean, I did my best to make it kinda obvious that I liked him…especially after someone told me that they thought it looked like I like-liked _you_."

"Whoa, what?" I asked, my eyes opening a little bit wider. Layla was just full of news today!

"Yeah, I know. Gross, right?" She asked.

I frowned, "Am I gross?"

Layla laughed, "No, not like that. I mean like, I feel like you're more of my brother than anything else in the world. It would feel…not right if you and I…you know."

I couldn't even bring myself to imagine it. It wasn't because I really did feel like Layla's sibling, but because I couldn't see past the Warren Peace standing in the middle of my head, refusing to let my mental imaginings wander away from him as he stood there with his dark gaze looking down at me, his muscled arms crossing and his head tilting. "Yeah, I know what you mean." I said, nodding a little.

"Yeah. I just think that he's probably too smart to really notice how I feel about him. He just overlooks it I think. Either that or he doesn't really like me. That's why I said yes when Silvanus asked me out on a date." Layla smiled, blushing again.

I shook my head, "Is it because he has long hair? Because I can grow mine out if you'd like. My dad would probably disown me, but you know." Layla laughed, slipping her arm through mine. "You're not my type, Will Stronghold."

I smiled, nudging her with my shoulder. "Well, I hope you have fun on your date tonight." Layla hummed her agreement and just as I caught sight of our houses, she asked, "Wanna help me pick out what to wear?"

I leaned my head back with a loud, dramatic groan, "I've not only been friend-zoned, I've been made into a _girlfriend_!" I extricated my arm from hers and exclaimed, "You are emasculating me!"

Layla laughed again. "Goddess forbid!"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go into my mancave, turn on some manly rock music, comb my chest hair, and grunt impressively!" I exclaimed, stomping past the sidewalk to her front door. Layla called after me, "That just sounds stereotypical and is only encouraging males to live up to an immoral standard!"

"Grunty-grunt, crotch-scratching and football!" I tossed over my shoulder, climbing the steps to the porch. I only heard Layla laugh again. "Good luck on your date!" I yelled, walking up to the door and unlocking it. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I headed straight for the living room.

I paused uneasily when I saw that Dad's robot eye had made it over to the bookshelf. I shook my head and turned on my playlist on my iPod. I listened contently to A Perfect Circle sing to me as I sat down on the couch and set my bag down on the floor. I unzipped it and yanked my books from its folds.

_Get ready to have the shit analyzed out of you, villainus influentia!_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I set the wok on fire, charring the pepper beef. Zeke gave an enthusiastic, "Whoo! This is the best day of my _life_!" from where he stood at the sink, spraying down dishes with the new nozzle and sink additions. Shu went scurrying by, "Stop playing, idiot!" adding a slap to the back of Zeke's green head.

She came up beside me, shaking up the pan noodles to have an excuse to stand beside me for a minute. "Nǐ rènwéi tā shì gāoxìng háishì shénme?" _Do you think he's happy or what? _I glanced over at the dishwasher station, void of the usual tubs of water, fitted and refitted with brand new sinks and a new dishwasher machine to replace the old temperamental one. Moss Head seemed to be having a damn good time while he worked. I was impressed with how much better he was doing with keeping up.

"Yěxǔ yīdiǎn diǎn." I answered. _Maybe a little._

Shu smirked, "Xiǎo húndàn rènwéi wǒ wèi tā zuò. Tā rènwéi, zhè shì tā de xīn wánjù." _Little bastard thinks I did it for _him_. He thinks it's his new toy._

I shook my head, chuckling as I spoke, "Xiànzài, Shǔ, bùyào gàosu wǒ shuō, nǐ bù wéi qián ma?" _Now, Shu, don't tell me that you did it for the money?_

"Dāngrán, wǒ tā mā dele! Tā kuài xǐ cài, gèng kuài huòdé gèng duō de bǎnkuài yǒu gèng duō de rén lái shàng xiágǔ zìjǐ. Cóng'ér shǐ wǒ gèng duō de xiànjīn, yě ràng suǒyǒu wǒmen dédào tā mā de zhèlǐ de guānbì shíjiān, ér bùshì yī fēnzhōng, yīnwèi gāisǐ de zàng pánzi hòu!"

She laughed nudging me with her fist. _Of course I fucking did! The faster he washes dishes, the faster more plates get out there for more people to gorge themselves on. Thus making me more cash and also letting all of us get the fuck out of here at closing time and not a minute later because of goddamned dirty dishes!_

I smirked, chuckling still, setting the plate for the pepper beef.

"I don't even care what you guys say about me! I feel like the most pampered dishwasher of all dishwashers in this godforsaken city! Hee-HEE!" Zeke exclaimed, spraying water with the nozzle up into the air over the sink like a sprinkler.

Shu shook her head at him, but good god I actually saw her smile. "Yǒu hěnduō jīngshén zài wǒmen de xiǎo Mò Sī Tóu." _There's a lot of spirit in our little Moss Head. _

I lowered one eyebrow at her after setting the pepper beef on a bed of rice. Bai Da took the plate and finished it off with some of his sauce, "Tā dédàole hěnduō kǒu." _He's got a lot of mouth too._

"Tā ne!" Shu laughed, waving a hand at Zeke. _That he does!_

"Xiànzài, wǒ qīn'ài de shū, nǐ huì bù huì fāzhǎn wèi Mò Sī Tóu xiànzài nǐ huì xǐhuan ma?" I asked. _Now, my dear Shu, you wouldn't be developing a liking for Moss Head now would you?_ Shu cocked an eyebrow at me and backhanded me in the shoulder before handing me a meal slip and leaving my side.

Table 14  
Steamed vegetable bowl  
Vegetarian rice w/extra water chestnuts

Vegetarian noodles

I pulled in a sigh and quickly went to work putting together Table 14's meal, ignoring Zeke's content, leisurely singing. Bai Da nudged past me to finish laying out an eggroll board. I reached into my back pocket and fished out my handkerchief. I brushed it across my perspiring forehead, and down my face.

"Hey, Moss Head, open the door and let some air in here!" I barked.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zeke salute me, "Right away, mon cap-i-tahn!" I rolled my eyes, stirring up the noodles in the pan with tongs, trying to coat them evenly. I sighed in relief when a cool breeze caressed my back.

Bai Da finished with his plating for Table 2 just as I finished plating Table 14…_just_ as a Lan walked in. She glanced at the meal tickets, "Goddamnit." She muttered. "Where the hell is Rong Hua anyways?"

"She called in sick." Bai Da answered.

"Great. Warren, do me a favor and take those to Table 14?" Lan asked.

I nodded briefly, balancing two plates on my forearm and hand, and picked up the other one. We were a bit short staffed tonight, but admittedly I was a bit grateful for it. I got to see less of Lan and hear less of her complaining of whoever the hell she was dating this time…Reid was his name? And I had a shorter shift tonight on top of it! I was just waiting for my relief to arrive. As I followed Lan out the kitchen door, I realized that I preferred the ridiculous, tree-headed, dishwashing dumbass over her. And not just because the kid gave a fucking decent blowjob…

I weaved around the tables, heading to the front while Lan headed to the back. My eyebrows raised briefly when I saw who was sitting at Table 14.

"Oh, hi, Warren!" she said, smiling with a little wave.

I set the plates down onto the table. "Don't tell me little Stronghold is leaving you hanging again?" I asked sarcastically. But Hippie shook her head, nervously twirling her red hair between her fingers. "Oh, no. Hah…I'm on a date."

I nodded briefly. "Uh huh." I said, about to return to the kitchen. "Well,"

"There he is." She said, pointing around me, toward the bathrooms. But I shook my head, "And I don't exactly care." I turned, thinking to make my way back to the kitchen but I paused. I smirked and reached up to rub it off, trying not to laugh at this interesting situation. Here came a guy with long, tied back brown hair, and trademark forest green eyes. His jeans were most likely _not_ made in a sweatshop. And his shirtsleeves reached leisurely past his wrists, split a bit at the pale collar and loosely looped with rawhide, most likely all naturally woven or something.

He saw me and glanced at Hippie who smiled back at him. He approached warily. "Peace." He said respectfully with a nod, standing at my height. I cocked an eyebrow. "Lombardi."

I put my hand on the table, and leaned down slightly to whisper loudly to Hippie, "Just so you know, Silvanus means 'from the forest' and he lives up to his name. When he's about to cum, antlers sprout out of his head."

Hippie's eyes widened and she blanched and then blushed.

"Warren, please don't talk to her like that." He said, gently touching my shoulder in a man-to-man sort of way. I looked back at Lombardi, still highly amused and nudged his hand from my shoulder. "Just thought it'd be good for her to have a little warning so she doesn't risk getting an eye gouged out. Have a nice time."

I walked past Lombardi, leaving him and his date in temporary silence until I got back into the kitchen. Once inside I allowed myself to laugh a little. My sense of humor might not have been the most polite out there, but I still found it amusing.

As I returned to the stoves, I thought briefly to one of the most interesting fucks I'd ever had. I'd shared a one night stand with the guy a month or so before the year ended last year. And Lombardi had been a fucking decent one. I'd never had to really _fight_ for dominance before him. I doubt if he ever had to before either.

He'd led me back to his house after making his intentions clear with his eyes from across the room in _The Gray Cue_ which, at the time, I'd thought was an odd place for the Lombardi to be. Hardly a foot over the threshold and he'd shoved me back against a wall, assaulting my mouth. I remembered the sweaty brawl it had turned into. An onslaught for supremacy. A bruising battle for control.

Our clothes were strung out around his living room, slightly ripped and forgotten, furniture was upset, there was probably a dent or two in a few walls, and a cat was hissing from somewhere in the room. He had tried to turn me around against the couch. I remember laughing at him, and shaking my head, growling something like "Nice try" at him before I shoved him back off of me. He struggled against me, growling under his own breath as I turned him against that fancy looking desk in the room. I held him against it by the back of his neck, hardly touching him while I fucked him. And he tried to resist the entire time, still trying to gain hegemony.

It was more an animalistic _fight_ than anything else. I suppose that's what you get when you fuck a creature of the wood, or the guardian of the forest, or the child of the Horned God, Herne's son or whatever the hell he referred to himself as. And I really hadn't been lying about the sprouting antlers thing. It had surprised me when a rack big enough to make a redneck run for his shotgun had grown from his head as his body tightened around my dick and ground out a yell.

But I still managed to get off, and find my clothes in the dimness of his living room. I remembered that he'd told me not to smoke in his house as I attempted to light a cigarette after I'd gotten my jeans back on while he'd reclined in a naked, relaxed Zen on the couch he'd tried to fuck me against. I had lit up anyway, gave him a courteous, smoky "Fuck you", swept my shirt, jacket and boots into my fist and left.

"Hēi! Zhè shì zěnme huí shì, Warren?" _Hey! What's up, Warren?  
_I paused inside the kitchen door. It was Min Zhi. "Nǐ de míngzì de yìsi shì cōngmíng de zhīshì? Rúguǒ shǔ shí dehuà, nǐ huì bù huì wǎnle bàn gè xiǎoshí." _Your name means clever? If it were true, you wouldn't be here half an hour late._

He snorted, cocking an eyebrow at me, "Zézé, huānyíng nín. Wǒ hěn gāoxìng dào hòu bànyè." _Gee, you're welcome. I'd be glad to take over for the rest of the night. _

I walked past him and went to the door, pulling my jacket off of the rack. "Wǒ dǎkǎle, Shū!" _I'm clocking out, Shu!_

"Hey! Zhi! What's up, my manbitch? Look at my new toy!" Zeke called, spraying water into the air above the sinks again.

Min Zhi looked over at me as I signed out on the board. "Mò Sī Tóu shì lúnbān? Wǒ jiāng nǐ diǎnrán, xiànzài, rúguǒ nǐ líkāi wǒ yǔ tā. Tā shì jīn wǎn tài gāoxìngle." _Moss Head is on shift? I will set you ablaze right now if you leave me with him. He's too happy tonight._

I shrugged unapologetically. "Wǒ yǒu gèng hǎo de shìqíng yào zuò." _I have better things to do. _Shu went trotting by with a tub in her arms as I pushed the door open. "Shì a, tā mā de!" _Yeah, like to fuck!_

I gestured after her as she disappeared again, "Mhmm."

Zeke waved a soapy, turquoise glove and smiled, "See ya, _buddy_!" Despite myself, I gave the happy snot headed fuck a raised hand and said before I went out the door, "Give the late bastard hell, Moss Head, and don't call me that." I stepped down into the parking lot as the door closed behind me and I reached back, pulling loose my hair.

I brushed my fingers through it as I made my way to my bike. I reached for my helmet and paused when my pocket started vibrating against my leg. I shoved my hand into my pocket and yanked out my cellphone. I looked at the ID and it said '_Mom_'.

A sigh escaped me, and I brushed the back of my hand across my mouth before accepting the call and holding my cell to my ear. "Hello."

"Hey! You off work yet?" came her voice, loud and suspiciously cheerful.

"Yes." I answered, straddling my bike.

"Perfect! Listen, I thought maybe I could slip away for an hour or two and you and I could go get something to eat at that diner we had breakfast in at 3am that one time? You know? Mannory's?" She eagerly said.

I shook my head against the phone, glancing down to the dirty, cracked ground below the wheels of my bike. "I can't, I have plans." I said quietly and gruffly.

"Oh." She said, and there was a long silence.

I fidgeted slightly on my bike. "Another time, Mom." I said, "I'll see you." And with that I ended the call. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and I slipped on my helmet, doing up the strap under my chin. I flipped on the motor, and started backing up.

"Warren!"

"Oh for fuck's sake…" I growled.

Lan hurried down the steps and over to my bike. "Hey. Glad I caught you."

"The hell do you want? I'm trying to escape this saucy hell hole." I grunted.

She bit her lip for a moment and then touched my shoulder, "Um, well, I'm off at 8:30. Do you want to hang out tonight?" I shrugged her hand off and shook my head in my helmet. "No," I said, "I don't want to. Go 'hang out' with your boyfriend." With that I lifted my boot from the ground and revved my bike out from behind the restaurant and gunned it down the street, heading towards White Hills with the wind cutting past my chest.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I shook out my writing hand and closed my notebook. Then for good measure I slammed shut my textbook. I swept everything back into my bag and collapsed back onto the couch with a groan. "I'm droppin' out…"

If becoming a super hero meant writing myriads of seemingly endless essays like that for the next four years, maybe there was a simpler line of work. Who knew there were so many symptoms, telltale signs, and types of _villainus influentia_?

I dragged my hands down my face and then after a moment of stillness, I pushed myself up from the couch. I wandered into the kitchen, glancing at my watch. It was almost 6:30 pm. Quietly, I flipped on the TV to the news.

The news anchor started, "Mayhem erupted in Alaska as Jack Frost rose from the snow after three years in hiding wearing a horrifying suit of armor that absorbs frozen water for power. Jack Frost has terrorized the cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks and is now heading toward Juneau, the state's capital. Unfortunately for Jack Frost, we have just received word that the Commander and Jetstream have joined forces with Grizzly Man and the,"

I flipped off the TV, satisfied that I knew where my parents were and that they weren't going to be home anytime soon. They'd fought Jack Frost three years ago and beaten the snowflakes out of him so I wasn't too worried. At worst, the ice cube would just bury himself under tons of snow again and hide out for another three years.

I glanced around the kitchen, wondering if I felt like eating anything. And then my eyes fell on the garbage can. A banana peel was hanging out from it. I took off the lid and pushed the banana peel inside. I tied up the ends and pulled the bag from the can.

I started mumbling under my breath that new song I heard from the Band of Horses. I didn't really know the lyrics so it was mostly gibberish crumbling from my mouth in the tune that sounded something like the song…I hoped quietly that I wasn't the only one who did that…

I trotted out the kitchen door and to the garage where I plopped the full bag in a can with three other bags. I grimaced. It was starting to smell and there were a few flies buzzing happily around them, determined to get inside and gorge themselves before they dropped dead. I shook my head at the can and seized it. I pushed open the door and kicked it closed behind me. Carrying the heavy can of waste was easy enough for me for obvious reasons. I set it down at the end of the driveway for the garbage truck to pick up early the next morning. I scrubbed my palms together and nodded curtly at the garbage, bidding it a disgusted Godspeed and farewell.

My ears perked suddenly when an attention-claiming whistle reached them. I turned quickly and looked down the street. And fucking hell, there was Warren Peace. Standing leisurely on the sidewalk with his hands tucked into his pockets. I smiled widely.

He smirked his trademark smirk and I felt my face heat up a little. Then he reached up and tucked his hair behind one ear, making my stomach do a backflip and heat up as if it were blushing as well. I swallowed to wet my dry throat as he gave a slight tilt of his head down the street behind him. I glanced toward Layla's house, and remembered that she was on a date. So I smiled again, and quickly jogged down the sidewalk after Warren who was already walking away.

I caught up to him, hardly panting a few yards from the nook between bushes and fencing where Warren usually kept his bike.

"You got off work early." I commented as I walked beside him.

He nodded, "Yeah. I would've gotten off earlier if my relief hadn't been so late." He stepped between the bushes and the fence and rolled his bike back out from between them. I saw his black helmet hanging from one handlebar as usual, but I also saw something new. Right behind where Warren would normally sit, there was a dark, grainy, earthy blue colored helmet with flecks of black strapped to the seat. The shade was darkly tinted and clear of any scratches or imperfections.

"I got you something." He said, undoing the straps that held the helmet to the seat. He turned to me and presented it. And I still stared at it in disbelief. He'd bought me a helmet?

He cocked an eyebrow and held it closer to me.

My eyes shot to his and I looked back to the helmet taking it gingerly from his hands, "Uh," "I know you don't need it, but I'd prefer not to have to carry my bike down a dozen flights of stairs again." He said, shrugging lightly and smirking his half smirk.

I ran my fingertips along the smooth, untarnished dark blue surface. I looked at him as he straddled his motorcycle, pulling on his own black helmet with its dark shade onto his head and strapping it under his chin.

I quickly did the same with my helmet and started to mount the bike. He reached back to take my arm to help me aboard as he usually did. I slipped my arms around his waist and gave him a careful squeeze. Warren started his bike and twisted the throttle slightly before lifting his boot from the ground, letting us free from stillness.

Warren had bought a helmet _just_ for me. This told me that the spot behind him on his motorcycle was a place that was for me. This helmet meant I'd be accompanying him often. And even the bluish color told me that he had acknowledged me or thought about me while selecting it.

_I have to thank him somehow…_


	27. Torture

**Check it out! An update before a month has gone? Is this a dream? **

**Hello my darling little sickos. Let me catch you up with my life, and if you just skip right to the chapter I swear I will hunt you down...HEY EYES UP HERE! Haha, well, I broke my finger the eve of prom. And I had to work that same day because they couldn't find someone to cover my shift. I ran around prom day with my mother, putting the last touches on my dress. I dressed up in a pirate queen gown with a red corset, complete with pirate boots and a wonderful black tricorn! I was the most uniquely dressed I'll say indeed! XDD Last year I wore a vampire gown...I'm just unique.**

**It is currently 11:07pm on Wednesday, May 9th 2012. I am leaving tomorrow to go on my Senior Trip at 5am on Thursday! Here, right now, I'm giving everyone an oppurtunity. But I'll be a little vague in case one of you guys is a serial killer who wants to eat my brains for nourishment. ^_^ If anyone is down on Virginia Beach this weekend from Thursday to Saturday, or even Busch Gardens, I'll be there! So if you're in the mood to go Tawny-hunting, I will be in a large group of people...so no trying to kidnap me...Haha, I'm the chubby goth girl with a shortish emo hairdo, a broken finger, and a zombie cat on my back! If you think you see me, yell out as loud as you can: "TAWNY THE DISTURBED, I NEED OXYGEN!" **

**If I hear this, I might go into a ninja stance to prepare for any attempt at serial stabbing...I HAVE taken martial arts...ahem...just warning ya...and if I see you, I'll be like: "MY DARLING LITTLE SICKO MINION!" **

**And if you randomly yell this and it's not me, and the chubby goth girl with a shortish emo hairdo, a broken finer, and a zombie cat on her back looks at you like you're a bowl of crazy soup, just be like, "PICKLE OFF YOU CUMQUAT!" ^_^ No need to get embarrassed! **

**I hope I can meet some of you my lovely, beloved sickos! **

**Now, this chapter contains no actual sex...ahem...but there happens to be about 1,100 words worth of SEXY-TIME just for you! Mehehehe...Wish me luck on my trip my sickos! I heard that there were 5 shark attacks in one day on Virginia Beach, so I'ma get eaten by a shark! ^_^**

**Oh by the way, I'm sure some of you noticed that not much sexy-time takes place in Warren's POV...hehe well...^_^ hope you're satisfied! Hope to see you!**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"Seriously? That makes no sense." I said.  
"Oh, c'mon! It's a super hero movie, things don't have to make sense!" he argued, starting to pout a little.

I shook my head at him from where he sat on the floor in front of the couch as the television played images of a man dressed in a tight, red leotard beat the crap out of villains in a rainy, dark alley without his mask, _without_ the redhead seeing his face. I adjusted my right hand under my head against the arm of the couch so the buckles on my wristband weren't digging into the back of my head. My elbow rested comfortably against the plush of the back of the couch and I sighed as I stretched out on the couch cushions. "I can't believe I'm letting you make me watch Spiderman. It's ironically cliché considering our lives."

I saw Stronghold smile a little bit as he stared at the screen in fixation. I looked at the screen and rolled my eyes with another sigh as the famous, overused Spider hung upside-down and flirted with the renowned Mary Jane who couldn't walk two feet without some sicko trying to rape her.

"Would you kiss me if I was hanging upside-down?" Stronghold asked, glancing back at me with a wise smirk. I groaned and flung my arm over my eyes, "Oh, _barf_."

I heard him laugh. I lifted my arm slightly to try and peek at his goofy little smile. But he was looking back at the TV. I shook my head and took my arm from my face and settled my left hand comfortably against my stomach, looking back to the movie.

"How come the women in movies _never_ wear bras?" he asked after a moment. My response was a swift but mostly mild backhand to the back of his head. Stronghold snorted and held his knuckles against his lips as he laughed quietly, still watching the movie.

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I wouldn't even have noticed that Warren had fallen asleep if I hadn't asked another question that I hadn't really expected a real answer to.

"Why does every science experiment to make people stronger and more intelligent go awry and turn them into crazy-ass super villains?" I asked.

When there wasn't a response, I smiled and glanced over my shoulder to catch Warren's eye. But his eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly and deeply. I stared gently at him. His face was mostly relaxed, but I wasn't about to think that he looked like a peaceful little cherub while he slept. I thought he looked more like he was _just_ sleeping, but still ready to wake up at any moment and toss a punch into someone's face. That didn't abate my hunger to touch him…

I licked my dry lips and turned to settle on my knees in front of the couch. I reached hesitantly, conflicted on waking him. But I touched his face softly.

His cheek heated my palm. I slowly brushed my fingertips along his cheekbone and let them travel down the side of his face. There was a warm and smooth roughness to his skin. He was clean-shaven, just as I'd ever seen him. This was the closest that I'd ever studied him without his burning gaze staring back.

My eyes trailed down his face to his neck. Down his neck to his collarbone. And from his collar bone to his muscled left arm closest to me. I studied the veins under the skin, pulsing slightly with dormant fire as he slept. I looked to the fire tattoo on his forearm. I traced it with my carefully with my fingertips. I touched the bright, whitish yellowness of the beginning of the flame and followed it all the way to the reddish orange tips of the waving flames. I looked to his big hand, and looked at his hard knuckles on his long fingers stretched leisurely out upon his stomach.

My eyes moved down from his resting hand to the zipper on his jeans. I chewed on my lip. Before I could drown myself in my thoughts and worries, I stood up and carefully settled myself over Warren's legs without putting weight on him. My stomach felt heated and my face grew warm. I waited for a brief moment, waiting for him to wake up. But he didn't.

I swallowed nervously, and I touched the upper part of his jean-clad inner thigh. I could feel the heat of him against my hand through the denim. I slowly started to stroke my palm up and down his penis. After a few long minutes, he was getting hard, and hotter. I swallowed again when I saw his eyelashes flutter.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

My eyes snapped open quickly when I realized what this…_pleasant_ feeling was. And I was shocked to see what I did. One minute I was watching the _amazing_ Spiderman make out with the desirable Mary Jane, the next, Stronghold is hovering over me where I was lying on the couch, rubbing at my dick through my jeans.

I tensed, looking into his nervous ocean eyes, and watching him bite his lip. And that uneasy lip biting made my dick twitch against his palm. I drew in a quiet gasp when he gave me a careful squeeze. I gritted my molars together, my abs clenching slightly. He licked his lips and pushed up the hem of my shirt. He touched my revealed belt, slowly pulling it loose. I was sure that he didn't realize that the agonizingly _slow_ way he was undoing my belt and the button of my jeans was driving me insane. I knew he was beyond nervous as hell and wasn't trying to tease me so I in turn tried to be patient even as he sluggishly pulled my zipper down.

His hands were shaking and his lip was trembling.

And hell, I lifted my hand from my stomach, grasped his wrist gently and looked comfortingly into his eyes. His eyebrows uplifted slightly as he stared back at me. I pressed his palm against my skin that he'd exposed. I guided it under my shirt, and slowly up my stomach. I listened to his breath quicken, his eyes downcast. I let him drag up my shirt, and I lifted my arms to let him pull it off me. I picked the cloth from my hands and tossed it behind me to the floor as Stronghold leaned down.

His head tilted and he kissed me. I felt his hands glide down my bare chest. His fingertips caressed the hard slopes of my muscles. I traced his upper lip with my tongue and then captured his lower lip, grazing my teeth against it. He jumped with a moan against my mouth when I reached down between us and grasped the excited crotch of his jeans. He moved down out of my grasp and he clenched the front of my boxers and jeans, pulling them down a bit.

The appearance of my strong erection scared him a little. He looked up at me with those big, innocent blue eyes, afraid, and silently asking me what to do. I reached down and combed my fingers through his hair. I started to reassure him that he didn't have to do this. "You don't," and that was about all I got out before letting out a shocked grunt as he wrapped his fist and mouth around me. My thighs and my abs clenched as his timid tongue slowly stroked me, his thumb caressing the vein.

His head lowered a bit, taking more of me into his mouth until he gagged. The wetness of his lips pulled back up, his teeth gently grazing a trail back up to the head. His tongue rubbed hard against it, and he sucked almost painfully hard. And _goddamnit _it felt so fucking good.

And then he pulled away, looking up at me, breathing hard. I seized his slightly mussed, brown hair and shoved myself back into his mouth. An arousing whimper emanated from his throat as I gripped his hair in my fists. I leaned my head back against the arm of the couch and closed my eyes. His tongue brushed around the slit and it made my muscles tense _rigidly_, "Fucking…_Christ_!"

A heated shiver stampeded in slow motion up my spine and I felt my veins blaze. He gagged when I thrust up into his mouth. But he moaned and kept going, swirling his tongue around my erection. Taking me deeply into his mouth. Stroking the base in his gentle fingers.

I jumped with a grunt when he ground me between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. Every bit of it was becoming drawn-out torture. All of it was so painfully slow, but so fucking good without being good enough. The weight was just creeping onto my body little by little, slowly suffocating me. The heat of my body climbed to raging heights as every last one of muscles so goddamned unhurriedly tensed. I was surprised that I wasn't burning his mouth. Half of me wanted to pull myself from his mouth, and finish myself to end this pleasurable torment. But the other half wanted so desperately to stay and let this suffering continue as sweat dampened my forehead.

I thrust up into his mouth, eliciting from him a long, fantastic whimper. I did it again and he gagged quietly. I yanked his hair, forcing him to take nearly all of me into his throat. He ground the head of my penis between his tongue and the roof of his mouth again, sucking on me so thoroughly and yet so timidly that I was beginning to believe that this never-ending spiral of erotic misery was actually going to kill me. I could hardly move because my muscles were all seized up. I clenched my teeth together and growled, gripping his hair with a vigor that made Stronghold whine in pain. And then he moaned when my erection touched the back of his throat, sending an amazing tremor through my tightened muscles.

"_Fuck_…" I could feel furious fire boiled in the pit of my belly like the core of a volcano preparing to erupt. It reached up my esophagus and licked at the back of my tongue. Ecstasy slipped my handle on control and I began to feel random patches of small flames rise from my skin. I doubt Stronghold knew exactly what he was doing to me. He let out a series of throaty cries when I gripped his head and started fucking his throat. At some point between his cries, he swallowed, pulling me deeply into his mouth with my thrust. My heart fire rampaged against my ribs. The hot air in my lungs thinned out and I almost began to suffocate as my breath seized in my chest. I heard Stronghold grind out a whimpering moan in his throat, grating his tongue against me as I plunged back into his mouth. I tried to gulp down the flames at the back of my gullet, tried to stifle it, but I couldn't.

I couldn't pull in a breath because of the growling yell I bit out through my clenched teeth. My body wouldn't slacken but it seized almost painfully. I couldn't believe how it felt. How it _finally_ felt. For a brief moment, I went blind through my tightly shut eyes. It felt so fucking good when I finally came. I heard Stronghold gag, cry out and cough, releasing me from the stimulating torture prison that was his mouth. Oh fucking Christ, the relief of the pleasurable pain left me feeling entirely weightless, and not even there. It was as if I had ascended to some other place.

I'd had my fair share of blowjobs since my balls had dropped, but none had _ever_ fucking been like _that_. It had lasted so long. I'd never spent so much time teetering on the edge of cumming and being forced to remain there in a never-ending limbo of wonderful suffering.

My muscles unknotted themselves one at a time as I ever so delicately came down from wherever the fuck Stronghold had banished me to. The numbness evacuated my limbs and I became aware of the fact that my heart and my lungs had kept right on working without me, and quickly as well. Distantly, I could feel the weight of his head lying against my thigh and also his warm, panting breath. I opened my eyes and looked down at him.

White fluid stained his parted, reddened lips. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows were arched up a little bit. His hair was mussed from my claiming fists. A droplet of sweat rolled down his temple. He paused in his heavy breathing and swallowed, letting out a quiet sigh. I managed to lift my left hand from the floor where it had fallen from the couch when my body had gone limp. I reached to him and carded my fingers through his hair.

Stronghold pressed his lips together pausing in his panting to swallow again and letting out a tired breath. He lifted his eyes, turning his head up slightly to look up at me. His eyes, big and blue, captured my gaze. Those blue eyes were a little bit glazed over, a little tired, and recovering.

I brushed his hair back from his forehead and trailed my fingertips down his face. I slipped a knuckle under his chin and ran the pad of my thumb along his lower lip. His tongue slipped out from his cum-stained lips and curled against my thumb tip. One corner of my mouth turned upward slightly.

Then I sighed quietly through my nostrils, my hands leaving his face. I arched up slightly, making Stronghold lift himself off of me. I tucked myself back into my boxers and jeans, doing up the button, belt and zipper. As I did, Stronghold wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and licked his lower lip. I settled back down, sighing again and pulling him down to lie on my chest. I lowered my head and kissed him, gently stroking his cheekbone with my thumb. I could vaguely taste myself on his lips. I parted us and laid my head back against the couch arm, closing my eyes and brushing back my long hair in relief and satisfaction.

I felt him move his head against my collarbone, and then felt him look up at me. "Was…was that…okay?" he timidly asked.

I froze and then cocked an eyebrow down at him. "Did you seriously just ask me that?" He blushed and he adjusted his body position, pushing up slightly from my chest, "Well, I've never done…_anything_ like that before. I dunno how long you're supposed to do it, _or_ how." I shook my head, chuckling and brushing back my hair again. "When you get me to yell like that, you can immediately believe that you've done extremely well. I'm not the biggest noisemaker."

"Oh…uh…I…you," Stronghold stammered, a redness creeping darker on his face.

I sat up, and stood from the couch, spilling him on the floor where he grunted. "I'm hungry. C'mon, I'll make something for dinner. I know you already _ate_ something so you can just eat light."

Stronghold's mouth dropped open and I smirked down at him. I loved that mouth. The way he chewed his lip when he was nervous. The way his lips parted in a scream when I hurt him, or when he was cumming. The way his tongue darted out to wet his lips. And now I discovered that I had another reason. And it was a reason of such magnitude, that I wondered if I could live through it a second time.

"Oh close your mouth." I said, pulling him up to his feet. I nipped his lower lip and said before turning to go to the kitchen, "I'm gonna need a couple weeks to recover." I glanced over my shoulder at him, and he was still blushing, but he was smiling quietly to himself, proud of himself.

_Sadistic little fucker…_ I thought, adjusting myself in my jeans before opening the fridge to find something to cook up.


	28. What's So Sexy About Grilled Cheese?

**Grooooan. I know it has been a VERY long time since my last update. And I really do apologize. The truth is, I have been working on this chapter since day one of my previous post! I have had the most aggravating case of writers block. I think I wrote a sentence one day. Half a paragraph another. Then backspaced two paragraphs the next night! You have no idea how tortured I've been this past month (no pun intended). **

**Well aside from my intense writer's block, I've gotten a bank account, gone to 6 Flaggs, worked my arse off at the restaurant, graduated high school with high honors (golden tassel and honors society ribbon, lapel, whatever it's called and all), changed my post-graduation plans, and developed a new obsession with pineapples. **

**Pineapples are fucking awesome. Nuff said. **

**I'm just gonna let you guys get right to the chapter. I'm sorry if it doesn't make you happy. Despite the countless days I've put into this, I'm not satisfied with it at all. In fact, I think I hate it. I mean sure, it's chock-full of hot Warren and Will sexy time against a hard surface entirely in the receiving end's point of view, but I'm just not satisfied with it. I hope you, my loyal sickos, like it more than I do. **

**I'm off to bed now seeing as it is 5:30am where I'm at currently. Lotsa love my darlings.**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

"Hm, wow. I don't really have anything in here." I distantly heard him mumble from where he was leaning into the refrigerator.

I'd been a bit wrapped up in my head where I'd been replaying what I'd just done. It had been my first time ever. And apparently I'd done a more than decent job. His growling yell was still echoing in my ears. My tongue and the back of my throat were still tender from his assaulting erection. And it stung from the burning hot fluid that had unexpectedly shot into the back of my throat. It burned and coated my mouth like hot candle wax, and I hadn't been expecting the fiery, slippery, salty taste.

Warren stood back up straight and scratched idly at the side of his jawbone. He looked over at me as he rubbed at his bare shoulder. "Best I can do tonight is a hot sandwich." He said with a shrug.

I nodded, "That's fine."

He brushed his hair behind his ear as he crouched down to fish out some things from the refrigerator. I swallowed and rubbed at my face. I wandered as nonchalantly as I could to the opposite side of the island where the front of my jeans couldn't be visible. I pressed my lips together and leaned on the smooth surface of the island. I tried to concentrate on things that weren't sexy. And that was hard considering he was standing there…

I adjusted myself in my jeans quickly, trying to provide some comfort to my hard on. I linked my fingers together on the island and leaned closer to it. I stared around the kitchen, focusing on every little random thing except him.

_Uhm…metal pitcher…full of kitchen utensils…like a wooden spoon…whisk…uh, plastic spatula._ Warren walked over to the pitcher and pulled the plastic spatula from the pitcher. I brushed my hand firmly down my face. I tried to steer my thoughts away from his strong, hard knuckles, his long fingers, and his rough palms. _Drawer, cabinets, refrigerator, sink, faucet!_

My eyes strayed to him. He was over at the oven, with a pan on the stove. Warren brushed his hair back and spread butter over both sides of a piece of bread. He set it down on top of another piece of bread with cheese on it. He picked up the sandwich and laid it down in the pan. It hissed quietly. He made another one and placed it in the pan with the original. It hissed quietly beside the first one.

_Okay, grilled cheese. _I thought.

Warren reached over one shoulder and scratched at his shoulder blade. I studied the faint red mark he left. I closed my eyes and bit my lip, trying to ignore my aching erection. I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling. _Light…ceiling fan…cobweb._

I saw him glance back at me with his rich, dark chocolate eyes. He said, "You're pretty quiet back there."

I nodded, "Uh, yeah." I rubbed at my face, grinding my teeth when my arousal throbbed at his husky voice. "Sorry. I'm just…"

He chuckled, "Forget it. I know." He flipped the sandwiches, showing off their golden side. He glanced at me and smirked. I blushed and looked down at my hands where I'd laced my fingers together. I swallowed quietly and just stared at the surface of the island. For a little while it was quiet again. Right up until a plate clunked down in front of me.

I jumped and looked up at him. He took a bite from his own grilled cheese and gestured at the plate. "Well, eat." He said through the mouthful.

I looked down at the hot sandwich and smiled. "Looks better than any grilled cheese my mom made since I was a kid." He smirked and shook his head, "I don't know if I should feel insulted, or your mom should be." I shook my head back at him and picked up the grilled cheese. I took a bite from it and shut my eyes again, "Oh good god."

He shook his head and turned to look out the window. As I ate, I watched him put his sandwich down and take the pan from the stove. He dropped it in the sink and turned on the faucet. I ground my teeth, averting my gaze away from the sloping muscles in his back. I brushed my hand back through my hair and closed my eyes. I leaned onto the counter and propped myself up on my elbow, taking a bite of my sandwich.

_Plates, water, grilled cheese. Grilled _cheese_. _Grilled_ cheese. This isn't working…_

I was analyzing the mechanics of grilled cheese in my head. How much cheese goes in between the bread. What kind of bread. How much butter goes on the bread. When to flip it in the pan. The browned color. I clenched my fist on the counter, annoyed at my aching hard-on. What was so sexy about grilled cheese?

I sighed in defeat. The culprit wasn't the grilled cheese. It was the half-naked pyro in the fucking room…I heard the faucet turn and the water stopped running. I rubbed briefly at my eyes before placing my sandwich down on the plate and pushing it away.

"Not hungry?"

I jumped, trying to straighten and whip around. His hands seized my sides, keeping me still. I grunted, holding onto the island. I felt the heat of his breath on the side of my neck. I shuddered in his grip. He chuckled quietly, one of his hands gliding down to the front of my jeans and lightly grasping my throbbing erection. I jumped with a gasp. He licked the side of my neck, kissed it and nipped it. His other hand drifted from my side, up my stomach and to my neck.

Warren turned my head so I could look at him over my shoulder. I swallowed at the richness of his dark chocolate gaze, hooded and hungry. His fingertips caressed my jaw. "You didn't think I'd just get off without you?" He pulled my lower lip into his mouth and kissed me gently. He murmured against my lips, "I wanted to see how long you could last. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

I groaned as he stroked my hard-on through my jeans. His hand brushed back through my hair, turning my head forward. Warren kissed my neck again, his hand gliding down from my throat to my stomach. He slipped his fingers beneath my t-shirt and caressed my skin. I tried to turn around again, but Warren pressed himself up behind me, pinning me to the island.

I leaned my head back, letting out a small whimper when I felt his strong erection pushing up against my behind. I grunted and swallowed when he gave a teasing thrust up against me. My heart pounded hard in my chest and I hung my head, heavy with cloudy excitement. He released my arousal and took the hem of my shirt into his hands, pulling it up, over my head and down my arms to my hands where they rested on the countertop.

His white hot lips caressed my bare shoulder and trailed down my spine. Blood gathered in my penis so heavily that I had to yank myself back from the edge before I came when his scorching tongue lapped at the small of my back.

He blazed a trail back up to my neck, lightly biting my skin. I sighed when his heated mouth latched onto my shoulder and cried out when his fingertips teasingly traced paths of fire across my stomach. I felt Warren growl into my ear, and thrust up against the seat of my pants again. He murmured, "Do you want it?"

My erection pressed painfully against the island as I rasped, "Please – _yes_. _Please_…" Just his fiery middle fingertip trailed up my sternum. Oh god, it was torture. But I suppose it was almost exactly what I did to him a short while ago. So perhaps I deserved it. He asked me the question again. "Do you want it?" His long hair tickled me as his teeth grazed against my pulse.

"Yes!" I shouted my reply, desperate, wanting, _needing_. "_Please_, Warren!" I breathed, frustrated and delirious.

His fingers finally reached around and pulled loose the button and zipper of my jeans. His lips burned another trail down my spine, more intense than before. I whimpered every time his searing hot lips touched my skin, everything feeling more and more sensitive as they traveled lower. His fingertips hooked into the waistband of my pants and my boxers. And good god he slid them down agonizingly slow. And _fuck_! His tongue followed!

His warm tongue traced the crevice of my behind, forcing me to jump against the island with a strangled gasp. Warren seized my hips, keeping me still as his tongue pressed into me. Fire bloomed from his hands, and clenched my hips in a wonderful, fiery, _bruising_ grip. I clenched my fists on the countertop, groaning as his tongue lapped at me. And all too soon his tongue left me. I turned my head over my shoulder, panting as his hands lost their fire. He fixed a dark, hungry gaze into my eyes, one hand gliding from my hip and up my stomach.

I hung my head, trying to catch my breath which only hitched when I heard his belt clink behind me. I licked my lips, swallowed and closed my eyes. I heard his jeans hit the floor and felt his slickened fingers slip inside of me. "Oh _god_, Warren, please. Just…AH!" My head threw itself back onto his shoulder when he easily found that tender spot inside of me, boiling my stomach, clouding my vision and sending goose bumps rampaging across my skin.

His hot breath warmed my face and his arm wrapped firmly around me to keep me still while his fingers repeatedly rubbed against my sweet spot. I writhed in his grip, gasping, whining, moaning, and begging. "Ohh…War-uhn! _Please_! Oh god, please! Don't," A grunt grasped my throat and I shuddered out a breath. I grabbed at his imprisoning arm, seizing his muscles, "_Fuck_ m-ee, ah! Please…_please_!"

He chuckled breathily into my ear. "Since you asked nicely,"

A sigh of relief escaped me and I rasped, "Th-thank you,"

Suddenly he bit hard enough into my shoulder to draw blood and shock a cry out of me. And it almost distracted me from the hottest part of his body pressing into my entrance. I whimpered. His teeth were still latched onto my shoulder as he slid firmly inside of me. That full feeling took over my belly and my erection throbbed frenziedly. His hand pushed firmly at my back, bending me over the island. The other gripped my side as he started an unhurried, but _forceful_ pace with his hips.

He'd pull out of me agonizingly slow, his cock dragging almost bawdily against the walls of my insides. And then he'd quickly thrust back inside of me, and fucking _hard_, each time making me gasp at the fullness I felt at his length. His teeth released my shoulder and he breathed in my ear. I hung my head, and closed my eyes. A whine struggled from my throat. Each thrust pushed me up against the island, making my grip shift on the countertop. It felt so good. More than good. But it wasn't enough.

I whimpered and grunted, "Uh! Ha-ahh, h-har…_harder_."

He growled through his clenched teeth, obliging my request with such ferocious power that each thrust made me see white. I fought to grab onto something to keep me from banging my head off of the island top as his erratic thrusts moved my body. I reached behind me and seized a fistful of that long, dark, gorgeous hair and tugged him in for a crushing kiss over my shoulder. He growled in his throat as his tongue wrestling with mine. I moaned into his mouth when he ferociously bit on my lower lip.

I released his hair as he wrapped an arm around my chest, gripping my hip in his other hand, driving into me with force enough to tear anyone else in half. I whimpered and gasped at his strength, pushing my erection painfully against the counter. I threw my head back against his shoulder as he slid his palm-ful of fire across my chest, yelling out, practically sobbing.

And then, for god's sake he suddenly stopped. I groaned in desperate frustration.

"C'mere," he murmured, his hands turned me. I twisted around, and was greeted by a brief, heated kiss. "C'mere, baby." He pressed closer to me. I touched his muscled shoulders as he took my hips into his strong hands and lifted me up onto the counter. He kissed me again, sucking on my tongue briefly before he pulled away. I reclined as he slipped one of my legs over his shoulder and the other into the crook of his arm. The countertop was cool and smooth against my bare back, not warm and rough like Warren was.

I eagerly welcomed the reentrance of his erection with a moan. He pulled my leg further over his shoulder, pulling me closer to him. He swiftly resumed the powerful, agonizing, violently wonderful thrusting. I marveled at how long I had lasted. My endurance was stronger than I'd initially thought. I shivered audibly, reaching over my head to grasp the further edge of the countertop. I cried out when his next thrust met my sweet spot, littering my vision with dark spots. He growled fiercely, his grip tightening on my legs.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my jaw stiffening. My lip trembled as my breathing labored and quickened. God fucking knew how much I wanted to come. But I didn't want to be far apart from Warren's orgasm. And I couldn't exactly tell if he was on the brink, or ready to go for another hour. Either way, my knotting stomach muscles warned me of the nearing end.

I tried to bite down on my lip to hold myself back. But to no avail when his villainous fingers hooked themselves around my penis and proceeded to jack me off. I ground out a groaning and pulled in a gasp, my body writhing against his touch in pleasured delirium. I couldn't stand it any longer.

I opened my mouth, to warn him or something, ready to apologize. But he beat me with a breathy statement, "C'mon, baby. I can't…I'm gonna…"

He roared roughly from between his teeth as he came inside of me, coating my insides with searing liquid. That was it for me. My body shamelessly threw in the towel and I came explosively all over my chest with a hysterical scream.

My eyes sunk closed and my body became light as a feather, boneless, and yet heavy. I panted, gasping quietly, kind of sobbing a little with the magnitude of release, shuddering and trembling. I could hear him ruggedly panting between my own gasps for air. And I felt his hot breath upon my stomach. His tongue lapped at one spot, kissed my skin and nipped my flesh. And again in another spot. I forced my tired eyes open and lifted my head slightly to look down at him as my body shook. White fluid stained his tongue as he licked another spot at my navel, kissed my skin and nipped me. His eyes turned up and looked at me. The tired intensity of his gaze drained me of the energy to hold my head up any longer and chased the shaking right from my body. With a sigh I sunk to the countertop again, closing my eyes.

I whimpered when his spent cock slipped out of me and grunted when he grasped my arms. He pulled me up to sit and gathered me against his chest. He wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted me from the counter. I felt myself being carried as he gently kissed my slightly parted lips. Eventually I felt the cool softness of his bed sheets beneath me. He laid down beside me and pulled a blanket over us. Instantly I was cocooned in his warm, comforting arms. He pulled me closer, onto his chest and I laid my cheek against his sternum, tucking my head under his chin as his palm rubbed warm circles into the small of my back.

I sighed quietly through my nose when his soothing palm stilled and his breathing slowed as he drifted off to sleep. I couldn't believe that I hadn't sacked out moments after the delicious climax. I just kept impressing myself tonight. Briefly I worried about the situation of being absent from home, and having to go to school in the morning. But I was too sleepy and safe in his arms to care about the worries of tomorrow as I finally fell asleep.


	29. Just Different

**Aloha my sweet sicko angels...or demons. Either or, I've heard it both ways. In my last post, it seems I neglected to tell you that I was going to go camping so I would be MIA for about two weeks...but then again, I'm always MIA...and usually for a month XDD Every summer I go up north to go camping, and last year, I did mention going there. And as I did last year, I did not bring my laptop. But I DID bring my journal which has been filled up with Oxygeny goodness...or seriousness...and several other fiction pieces seeing as I have a creativity spawning creature who lives in my nose who spends his time spewing random ideas up into my brain for me to write about. **

**I am happy to say that I had a lovely time camping as usual. I came back and went to a few graduation parties. One of which almost had me passing out comfortably on the cool living room floor of my friends house beneath the ceiling fan while everyone was comforting my best friend in said friend's bedroom because my best friend was crying about how nobody liked her and how she wasn't beautiful and other annoyingly stereotypical girlish things...another leaving me with a severely sprained middle finger which now needs to be lashed to my ring finger like Jack Sparrow's roped sea turtles. **

**This can be somewhat irritating for transferring chapters from my journal to my laptop, and the fact that it seems that my ring finger has handcuffed my middle finger to him as if he were transferring a criminal to a police station bounty-hunter style really slows down my usual 210 words per minute. Or perhaps there could be something kinky going on between my ring and middle finger. I mean my ring finger has always had a thing for the thuggish badassness that is the middle finger...I mean, he does make his presence known frequently during traffic.**

**Anywho, I have managed to transfer one chapter so far, even with my ring and middle finger buddied together like some odd roll in the sleeping bag or three legged race which is peculiar seeing as neither have legs...huh. And it turned out that I had to cut the chapter short...**

**I'm sure you're all glancing up at the word count and thinking, "Uhm...short?" And if you didn't, you're doing it now. But it is true. Creative juices flow naturally well when you're sitting around a campfire on an island in a pair of girly boxer shorts while chipmunks weave themselves through the legs of your chair waiting for pieces of Smartfood popcorn to tumble down from our snacking fingers as you have you're journal propped up on your shoulder like a violin and you're reclined in that comfortable chair that was purchased at a Wal-Mart several years ago and maintained its comfortableness despite years of rust and abuse and fabric decay...I'm sorry, I think I just teared up a bit from longing.**

**So, in a nutshell (which the chipmunks couldn't fit in their swollen cheeks) I wrote a shit load of Oxygen. Most of which has no sex. Yeah, sorry kiddies, the plot came back to give you a swift boot to that porn-loving libido of yours. We all knew it would! ^_^ **

**I hope you missed me and I'm putting out as much as I can with my ring and middle fingers trapped in an "It's Complicated" relationship. Now excuse me while I fold laundry, and go on a walk before I have to leave and spend my night in the hopelessly redneck restaurant that I work in that is going to be severely packed because it is Thursday...which is the summer party thing that goes on every week...and I have to work inside, not outside making lemonade or the game in which you make children pay money to throw tennisballs at a bunch of cats in attempt to knock them over carnival game style...oh excuse me, they're ninjas now...and my boss totally got the kanji wrong for Warrior...I will not tell him what it actually says because I'm hoping it'll offend someone...**

**Ever evil, and ever yours...I am Tawny The Disturbed, and this...is _your_ chapter...**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I slapped at my alarm clock when it went off, shocking me from sleep. I looked at the time.

5:30am.

Then I laid my head back into my pillows, reaching up to rub gently at my sleep-ridden eyes with a sigh. He shifted beside me. I glanced down at him as he laid over my chest contently again where he'd been slumbering before the alarm assaulted his peace.

His palm rested upon my breastbone, his thumb stroking my skin gently. While looking up at me he rested his chin upon his knuckles. He murmured, "I don't feel like going to school."

I chuckled, "I doubt if I _ever_ do."

He tilted his head so his cheek was resting against his knuckles. He stared up at me for a little while. Then he pulled himself up closer to me, placing a chaste kiss upon my lips. His hand lifted to glide through my hair briefly before he ended the kiss, settling back down onto my chest again. However, his hand remained. He ran my fiery red hair through his fingers. I could feel the fire in my heart lapping warmly at my ribs.

He asked, "How come it never fades? Magenta's does. Do you dye it often?"

I shook my head and reached to touch the streaks, "I don't. That's my actual hair. It sprouted when I was born. It's the fire gene in me."

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh…well, that's kinda cool."

I snorted, "Everyone thought my Mom was a bad parent because she let me dye my hair." Stronghold smiled, laughing quietly.

I heaved a sigh and said, "I s'pose I oughtta get you home."

He smiled. "They're probably freaking out despite that message I left on the machine from my cell phone." I scoffed, "What exactly did you say?"

He shrugged, "Something along the lines of: 'Hey, I'm over at Zack's. I dunno if I'll spend the night or not, but I'll get to school in the morning.'" I smiled lightly, and carded a hand through his hair. "Well, in order for that to be accomplished, we gotta get out of bed, get dressed and hop on my bike."

He blushed and averted his gaze.

"What?" I asked, lowering an eyebrow.

He licked his lips and said quietly, "My clothes are downstairs…all over your kitchen…"

I laughed, "Oh yeah, that's right." I reached down under the blankets and seized his ass in my hands. He gasped with a jump.

"That was entertaining."

He blushed further.

I gave him a gentle slap to the cheek and disentangled myself from him and got out of my bed. After freeing myself, I sifted through a drawer in my dresser and fished out a pair of fresh boxers. I slipped them on and glanced back at Stronghold, who avoided placing direct weight onto his ass. His hair was messy and he was holding the bedspread over his middle. He looked at me and I assured him, "I'll go get your clothes. Take your time getting your sore ass out of bed."

I slipped out of my bedroom, leaving Stronghold blushing amongst my bed sheets. I brushed my hair back out of my face as I descended the stairs. I pulled in a long breath and yawned it back out as I hit the last step and made my way into the kitchen. And I came to pause in the doorway when I saw his clothes from last night folded neatly on the island. My eyes lifted and I saw my mom leaning against the counter beside the sink, holding a tea in both of her hands and smirking at me.

"You two are like freakin' newlyweds." She said and sipped her coffee daintily and careful of the heat in her lazy tank top and flannels. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. She was tucked into a pair of flannels and a tan surfing t-shirt.

I remained where I stood. I could hardly imagine what she'd felt when she'd entered the kitchen upon returning home. And I felt…_slightly_ embarrassed…

She smiled gently, "No need to feel self-conscious Warren. It's a perfectly natural thing."

I reached up and rubbed at my eyes, "Oh good god, not this conversation."

She laughed, "You know, I thought it was because you were angry with me. Then I got home a few hours ago, and I felt all of this sexual emotion," "_Mom_." I grunted.

She laughed again and smiled brightly at me. "You know, I'm very interested in what you have developing here, Warren. I've never felt you so happy, and _comfortable_ with another." I paused, and studied her. Her sincerity showed plainly in her eyes as well as in her gentle smile. I shook my head, leaning against the doorway. I crossed my arms defensively, averting my gaze from her tawny eyes.

She chuckled lightly. "Warren, it's _okay_ to be emotionally involved with someone. It's okay to be human." I shook my head again, looking at her, "You don't know who he is." She set her tea down on the island and leaned upon it. "Then tell me Warren. It's alright. Or even let me meet him. He's right upstairs isn't he?" Then she added with a smile, "Unless he's trotting around town naked."

I shook my head once again at her. I didn't want to face that again. The last time I had been reminded of who he was, what I had been planning, how I thought I felt, I'd tossed a punch into his face, questioning all that I've done. And then I'd found myself grudgingly admitting to myself that I cared about him. But then again maybe this would help. I wasn't entirely one to avoid existing problems. Maybe trying to make this real would finally give me the kick in the ass in the right direction, whichever direction that was.

"You know what, fuck it." I growled, and I swiped his clothes from the counter. I turned away and went back upstairs to my room.

He had laid back down in my bed, but he jumped up when I came in, closing the door behind me. I threw his clothes at him, "Get dressed."

"What's wrong?" he asked nervously.

I shook my head, seizing a pair of jeans from my dresser.

"Just get dressed." I stepped into my jeans and yanked them up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him managed to gingerly escape my bed and pull on his boxers and shorts. I paused as I grabbed a dark t-shirt. I looked at the burns and the bruises I'd left on his body. Part of my handprint was burned into his chest and my fingerprints were pressed into his hips. I studied his marred body until he pulled on his shirt, hiding everything from my view.

I swallowed quietly, and pulled my t-shirt on over my head. He asked me again, "What's wrong, War?"

I paused at the epithet. And then I heaved a sigh and slipped my hand under his chin. I turned it up and kissed him. His quiet gasp sounded and he softly sighed as he chastely kissed me back, bringing his hands up to rest on my shoulders.

I pulled away and picked up my backpack from the floor. I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and pulled him toward the stairs outside my bedroom. "C'mon." I murmured. I glanced back into his eyes. They were questioning but completely trusting. He even seemed a little guilty, as if he'd done something wrong, but he didn't know what.

"It's okay." I said. "We'll leave right after this."

At the bottom of the stairs, I led his to the kitchen and brought him to stand in the doorway. I slowly walked into the kitchen, Stronghold quietly following me. I pulled him forward by his wrist and let go so he was slightly in front of me. Stronghold made nervous eye contact with my mom and looked back at me, much more nervously. I glanced seriously into my mom's eyes and gestured pathetically at him. No words described how I felt. I suppose I felt pitiful, embarrassed, and maybe even a little guilty.

I crossed my arms and averted my gaze.

Stronghold was the one who broke the silence. "Um…hello?" I glanced at mom and saw her smile at him. She was reading him and he didn't even know it. She replied, "Hi. I'm Warren's mother."

Stronghold exclaimed, "Oh! Hello Mrs…I mean Miss…uh…_Hi_. Eh...sorry, I thought Warren had a sister he didn't tell me about." He nervously scratched at the back of his neck.

Mom laughed, and touched her heart. "You have no idea how much that flatters me. No need to be sorry, of nervous. I doubt Warren talks about me."

Stronghold shook his head, "I wish I could say that wasn't true, Miss Peace." He winced and glanced nervously back at me, worried that he'd offended me.

Mom shook her head, "Not even the people I work with call me that, young man. Just call me Angela."

I waited for it as she came around the island to gingerly grasp his hand.

"Will Stronghold."

There it was. I felt her smile fade slowly and she steadily looked at me. I forced myself to look into her eyes, biting the inside of my lip. Those tawny eyes searched mine in shock as she began to make sense from the conflicting feelings that she'd obviously been reading off of me. The misplaced hatred, the confusion, the affection. And I'm fairly sure that she'd put together what I was planning…or had been planning…or might still be…

I shrugged hopelessly at her. Her eyes narrowed at me by the slightest as she examined me with her powers. Then she turned back to Stronghold and smiled. "It was good to finally met you. I really hope to see you again. You boys should be off to school."

Stronghold's lip quirked up in one corner, obviously confused. I turned him out of the kitchen and gave him a gentle push. Mom gave me her civil but serious "We need to talk" leer. I gave her a nod of acknowledgement that border-lined a dismissing "whatever". After freeing myself from her owl eyes, I followed Stronghold down the hallway and pulled on my boots as he tied his sneakers.

I herded him outside and he glanced over at me. He asked, "Does she hate me? Like you…I mean not like you but,"

"Just forget about it, Stronghold. It's impossible for her to feel hate for someone like you. She'd actually concerned for you." I said while pulling open the garage door and walking out my bike.

"Concerned for me? Why?" he asked as I handed him the helmet I'd bought for him.

"Because of your…_involvement_…with me…" I answered, slipping on my helmet and mounting my motorcycle.

He blushed deeply and I knew he was thinking of his addiction to me releasing endorphins throughout his body by use of my blunt knuckles and agonizing fire. I let him think that, for I wasn't about to open up the can of worms that was my aggravating indecision. The stupid indecision that was between the initially plotted revenge and my growing…feelings.

He pulled on his helmet and did up the strap before climbing on behind me. I held his elbow until he got situated and wrapped his arms around my waist. I turned over my bike, gave it a rev, twisted the throttle and left the driveway.

I tried to ignore the warmth in my stomach as his arms clasped trustingly around my middle as I sped through traffic. I refused to admit to myself that I was disappointed that White Hills approached. I stopped on the far end of his street, out of the sight of his house. I helped him off and waited while he strapped his helmet down on the seat behind me.

He looked at me and said, "Just so you know, your mom has no reason to be concerned for me. I trust you."

I sighed quietly inside of my helmet, trying to ignore the roused fire behind my breastbone. I nodded silently and did a U-turn on my bike. I did my absolute best not to look in the small mirror at him as I moved away. And I failed miserably until I turned out of view.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I wondered if I should have said that out loud as I briskly walked up the path to my house. According to my wristwatch, I had bout twenty minutes to shower, get dressed, stuff a piece of toast in my mouth and run to the bus.

I pushed open the front door and heard, "That you Will?" from the kitchen.

"Take your time, hon, I'll fly you to school!" Mom called.

"Not necessary and _very_ embarrassing!" I yelled as I hurried up the stairs. I heard Dd hoot with laughter as he sifted through his newspaper. "He's got a point ya know."

I showered as fast as I possibly could and brushed my teeth while toweling myself off. _Should I have said that? _I wondered again. Lately when he'd drop me off, he's at least take off his helmet. The lack of a wonderful kiss left me a little bummed sure, but he had been having trouble making eye contact with me after meeting his mom.

It was the briefest introduction of my life, so how could it be having such an impact. It really seemed to bother Warren. Then I thought about introducing him to _my_ parents and grimaced.

What was the conversation I had invented?

_Hi Dad. Meet Warren Peace…No he's not just a new friend…he's my lover…yeah a guy…he's also the son of your sworn enemy who's tried to kill you on numerous occasions…_

I shook my head. I saw then how it might have been hard for him. Especially since his own mother thought that he was too dangerous for me.

Warren may cause me pain on an almost daily basis nowadays, but he didn't hurt me.

I rushed to my room and pulled on some random clothes, cursing when I spotted burns sticking noticeably out of my shorts. I quickly changed into some jeans and glanced at the clock. "Shit." I muttered. I grabbed my wallet and pulled out Ron Wilson, bus driver's card. I dialed him from my cell phone. It rang once and then I was greeted by Ron Wilson, bus driver.

"Ron Wilson, bus driver!" his professional voice echoed over what sounded like the bus.

"Hey Ron, it's Will. I'm running a little," I started but his voice overtook the call.

"No problem, Will! When I get to your stop, I'll wait for ya!"

"Oh, thanks so much, I," I tried.

"No problem! Ron Wilson, bus driver, out!"

Then there was a click and a dial tone.

"You're gonna miss the bus, Will! Please let me fly you to school? Please?" Mom called up the stairs. "I feel like we haven't talked in days!"

I came running down the steps, burns and bruises properly covered and hidden, and my bag slung over my shoulder. I laughed, "I promise I'll stay home tonight!"

I gave her a kiss on the cheek. Dad came out of the kitchen with a piece of toast in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

"Hey, Buddy. I know you're a big man in high school now, but let's tone down the slumber parties on school nights. And try to give us a bigger heads up than a message on the machine. Okay?"

I nodded solemnly, "Yes, Sir,"

He nodded back with a smile, "Great."

"Yoink!" I swiped his toast and put it between my teeth as I scurried out the door.

"You little crap!" Dad shouted, "I will annihilate you!"

"You can't! I'm indestructible!"

* * *

"Will Stronghold, it has been _too_ long!" as my greeting first period from Gwen Grayson. I sat down beside the pink-wearing senior and smiled. "Yeah, it feels like forever. Where were you yesterday?"

"Plotting the obliteration of Sky High, dominating the world and laughing maniacally." She said sarcastically. I smiled and laughed.

"But, no. I just wasn't feeling well over the weekend so I missed a day to rest a bit more. The last thing I need is to get the Student Council or the Winter Ball Committee sick." She said.

I nodded, "Well, it looks like you're okay now."

She nodded, "Yes I am. So, are you ready for the lab test next week?"

"Are you kidding? I barely got by on the freeze ray lab test. How am I supposed to compose antidote for K Plasserilium?" I asked.

She smiled, "It's all about studying the formula and properly using the elements provided for you. You just need to memorize what you can mix together to make an element…like paint in art class. You'll do great. I passed that lab test in my freshman year with a 100,"

"She did." Medulla said proudly as he passed by, handing out last week's review quiz. "Mister Stronghold, though you are slightly incompetent when it comes to rays, you seem to have a knack for Trajectory and Calculation. It must be your innate ability to launch and damage school property." He moved on.

I looked at the grade and saw that it was a 92%. Gwen nudged my arm, "Look at that. Our study hall study sessions are paying off. What are you worrying about?"

I shook my head after Medulla, "You throw one cafeteria table and no one lets you forget it." I glanced at Gwen who shrugged, "Sometimes it pays to be the brawn, I suppose. But forget about that for now. It you're _really_ worried about the Elements and the Antidote lab test, we can start focusing on that. Should we schedule a couple of home sessions as well?"

I nodded quickly, grateful for the offer. "That would actually be great," I thought for a moment, "Not tonight though. I promised I'd hang out with my parents."

She nodded back and smiled that bright, warm smile, "It's not a problem."

I thought briefly about my forgotten crush on this gorgeous senior girl. She had so many good qualities that I hadn't helped but like her like that. Sure now, I lacked those feelings toward her because of a certain dark, masculine junior pyro constantly stomping through my thoughts with his boots and his leather jacket. I almost felt a little guilty for abandoning those feelings for her. I owed her a lot for the tutoring.

_I'll have to get her a gift or something to repay her…What though…? I'll have to talk to Layla or something…Ooh, speaking of Layla!_

* * *

"Sooo? How was the date last night?" I asked, sneaking up behind Layla. She jumped and smiled, "Will! You scared me!"

"You were so busy dreamily staring into your locker, sort of like you were doing out the window on the bus this morning, that you didn't notice me stealthily sneaking up behind you. So, tell me about the date!" I exclaimed, smiling.

That smile faded however, seeing as the two miscreants of the senior class came barging into the conversation.

"Yeah, Flower Power, tell him about the date!" Speed mooed.

Lash added, "He's dying to know why you're cheating on him and your cute little relationship!"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Um…Am I supposed to be offended or is the punch line coming…?" I asked, genuinely confused and lacking any spite whatsoever.

Lash grabbed his heart, "I'm just a bystander concerned for the unity of your lesbian relationship!"

"We totally understand gay pride, Stronghold. Power to the flag." Speed said, bumping his fist over his heart and making a peace sign. Lash said, "We look forward to seeing you two in the Dykes on Bikes part of the next parade." Then they walked away.

It took me a minute but I raised my head in understanding, _"Oh,_ I get it. They were emasculating me by implying that I'm a girl with the whole lesbian thing. Do I look like a lesbian?"

Layla raised an eyebrow, "Lesbians don't have a particular look, Will. That's stereotyping." I lowered my head, "You're right, I apologize. And I don't think their attempt at insult really struck a chord. It _just...confused_ me..." I glanced after them, "_A lot_!"

Layla shrugged, "At least they're for gay pride…and apparently , so is Silvanus." She added in a hushed tone as she closed her locker. We started walking and I lifted an eyebrow, "What?"

"Well, on our date last night…Warren Peace showed up," she began.

I blushed. "What?"

Layla nodded, "Yeah, he works at the Paper Lantern. I guess I forgot to tell you. I met him there that one time you stood me up." She smiled and nudged my arm teasingly. "I forgive you though. But anyways,"

I thought it a little unfair that Layla had known where Warren worked and I didn't. I wasn't angry or anything, just a little jealous. But I understood. There were things that Warren told me and then there were things he didn't tell me, and that was okay. I didn't need to drive him away with annoyance or clinginess.

"Warren brought the meal to our table while Silvanus was in the bathroom. And when Warren saw who I was with, he _laughed_." She explained.

"Laughed?"

"Yeah, then he leaned in and told me something very…_inappropriate_…"

"What do you mean? We're in high school now! When we talk about dirty things, we have to talk about them in dirty ways!" I said, desperate to know what Warren had said.

She shushed me and glanced around. Then she leaned in close and whispered into my ear, "He said to me flat out to be careful because Silvanus's antlers sprout when he's about to…you know,"

"What?"

"You _know_,"

"Cum?" I whispered.

"Yes!" Layla nodded, blushing. "Thank you for not making me say that!" She smiled with a giggle, covering it with a knuckle.

"How did Warren…know that?" I asked, doing my best not to trail off and become entirely silent. I figured I knew what Layla's answer would be.

"After Warren went back to work, Silvanus confessed to me that once he had had…uh…_sex_ with him." She said quietly, blushing up a red Mar's sand storm but still sort of smiling.

My heart fell a little. I thought about how tall and good looking Silvanus was and how toned his muscles were. I glanced down at my thin wrists. How was I going to compete with that if it came to it? I felt a little jealous…and of course sexually threatened…and inadequate. I mean, I didn't sprout antlers when I came…I turned into a twitchy, trembling gasping mess.

"Silvanus explained to me that his sexuality had no preferred gender and that we as humans are all attractive in our own ways. He doesn't believe in labels." Layla smiled to the air admiringly.

I raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like something you would say."

Layla shrugged, "I've never put much thought into my sexuality. Of course I believe that all humans are attractive in their own ways like Silvanus said. It just doesn't seem to be an issue to me. However, I think I prefer boys if I'm being entirely truthful. Still, I don't judge others. I'm okay with Silvanus. But I admit, him being with Warren Peace shocked me…"

"Yeah, I guess so…" I murmured.

"Mhmm. But the rest of the date went great. He was perfect gentleman. It turned out we share a lot of beliefs, points of view and personality aspects." She said happily.

I smirked, and asked, "Are his bras 100% hemp too?"

She gasped, laughed and gave me a push. I smiled at her, "Just teasing."

She nodded, "That's okay. I miss it. So I'll see you in lunch?" I nodded back at her, adjusting my bag over my shoulder. "Count on,"

I was cut off when someone pushed past me. It was a _solid_ arm bumping hard into my shoulder.  
"Ow." I grunted, and looked around. With my eyes I found Warren clearing himself a path down the hallway as everyone scrambled out of his way. He glanced over a leather-clad shoulder back at me. To others, those dark eyes were unfeeling and cold. But I knew better.

I smiled to myself, feeling the fading shadow of the solid warmth of his shove. Layla shook her head when I looked back at her. "He seems _tolerable_ outside of school. Even kind of nice...if not a little uncaring. I feel like he just puts up that tough, cold exterior because everyone expects him to…just because of who his father is."

I thought about his annoyed tone when we had had been watching Spiderman the previous night. And then I thought about how he'd cradled me in his arms all night in his bed.

I raised an eyebrow, "So what, you think it's all for show and he's really soft and fluffy on the inside?" If that was what she thought, I didn't believe it. Warren was the toughest guy I knew of. He had a dangerous glint to his glare that felt genuine when it was directed at me. I knew he had a different side of him that I'm sure not many people, or any at all have seen. But that wasn't soft and fluffy. It was fiery and passionate, yet gentle.

Layla shook her head, "Oh no. He isn't living a lie. It's all psychology. As a kid he probably had to deal with fear and bullying because everyone expected him to be like his dad. So he built himself a defense and he grew up hard and solitary. There's no doubt in my mind that he really is tough and most likely eats molten lava and nails for breakfast, but as a kid, it wasn't entirely his choice."

I looked at her and blinked, "I feel like you put a lot of thought into this." And hell, what she said sounded as if it made sense!

Layla shrugged, "Well, actually, I talked about it over the phone with Magenta last night…you know how she is. But I agree with her."

I nodded, "Ah. Yes, of course." Leave it to Magenta with her dark, all seeing eyes that penetrated everyone's soul and picked them apart to analyze them in a matter of seconds. She frightened my testicles...

"My ears were burning." Magenta said, nudging in between Layla and I. She looked at me and said, "Good morning, Will." Then she looped Layla's arm in hers. "Come along Layla. We have a Grapple Hook Schematics lesson to endure." She gave me an acknowledging nod before she led Layla off who waved apologetically back at me.

I waved back and made my own way to class. I brushed carefully through the hallway to avoid tripping or stumbling on any number of people rushing in the last thirty seconds to class.

I slipped into Super Mind Mechanics, year 1. And the first thing I noticed was Mr. Cougar was mysteriously sitting on top of his desk…all criss-cross-applesauce and everything.

"She slipped from the rubble and tried to capture me with her seductive gaze but damnit, I wouldn't have it! I wasn't going to let this evil harpy win!"

I sat cautiously at a desk with my classmates as they listened curiously. This was most uncharacteristic of the normally serious older Super Hero with salt and pepper hair with deep amber eyes like that of a mountain lion. I looked into those eyes as he continued.

"She took off into the air like a shot and got around behind me. By my tail she dragged me up and whipped me into a billboard sporting a Fruit of the Loom ad. After I got my bearings, I leapt through the air and sunk my claws into her wicked, feathery breast and,"

And then, Mr. Cougar entered the room with a folder tucked under an elbow and a coffee in his hand. He looked at the Mr. Cougar on the desk, and the Mr. Cougar on the desk looked at the Mr. Cougar in the doorway. We looked from either Mr. Cougar, confused and maybe a little frightened. The Mr. Cougar at the door rolled his eyes and said, "Very amusing, Mister Howard. Now get off of my desk."

The Mr. Cougar on the desk shrugged and smiled, transforming into Alex Howard, the famous impersonator Hero Class student with uncut curly hair spraying out from beneath his ball cap and squinty eyes. The guy had had a habit of messing with Zack's head in his free time by transforming into Coach Boomer in the earlier part of the year. Thankfully he'd gotten bored, but not after Zack finally talked a little smack to what he thought had been him, but turned out to actually be Boomer.

Alex hopped down off of Mr. Cougar's desk and sat in a seat somewhere in the back.

Mr. Cougar set down his folder and asked, "Who can come up with a psychological explanation for Mr. Howard's behavior here?" He took a sip from his coffee.

Larry raised a hand, but Alex called from the back, "The need for a little entertainment? Super History was _painful_."

Mr. Cougar gestured at Larry, "Mister Stonehedge?"

"An outreach for attention?" Larry tried.

Mr. Cougar nodded, "Miss Corrado, reason for an outreach for attention?"

"Childhood problems? Maybe it took a lot for his parents to pay attention to him. They might've worked a lot perhaps." She suggested, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Mister Stronghold, how might childhood shape a person's personality like that?" Mr. Cougar asked, gesturing at me with his coffee mug.

"Conditioning, whether it be on purpose or not." I said, thinking guiltily about Warren. "Childhood experiences can lead an individual building up some type of defense mechanism to protect themselves emotionally, whether it be by acting out or introverting themselves."

"Okay, are we still talking about me? Because you're all way off!" Alex complained from the back.

"Why is this dangerous for a blooming Super Hero, Mister Howard?" Mr. Cougar asked, sipping from his coffee.

"Seriously?" Alex asked.

Mr. Cougar raised his eyebrows and said before sipping from his coffee, "Quite seriously." He sat down at his desk and folded his hands. "Why is a rough childhood potentially dangerous for a blooming Super Hero?"

Alex sighed and leaned forward in his chair as a few of us glanced back at him. He thrummed his fingertips against the desk and finally spoke. "Mental instability or insecurity could potentially lead a Super to use his powers recklessly. Each time he does, it takes his closer and closer to villainy as he develops a disregard for morals and people's lives."

Mr. Cougar nodded. "Good." Then he stood up from his desk and tucked his hands into his pockets, starting a slow pace back and forth across the front part of the room. "Class, notice he said 'potentially'. A rough childhood _could_ indeed turn a Hero into a Villain, _however_ that is not always the care. Some of the greatest Heroes rose from the darkness of Villainy. Name one, Mister Helman."

"Uh…" he stammered, sniffling from the so far permanent side effect of Gwen's freeze ray that Medulla had tested out on him. "I…the…"

"Miss Morris?" Mr. Cougar inquired, turning his attention away from the nervous sniffler.

"The Fishman, 1950s," she said confidently.

Mr. Cougar nodded, "Yes. The Fishman came from two Super parents, both from a _long_ line of mortal criminals and Super Villains. Despite his upbringing, The Fishman turned out to be of the best, most righteous Heroes of his time. He fought alongside your own grandfather, Mister Stronghold. Now why do you think The Fishman turned out this way, Mister Stronghold?"

I thought about Warren. I thought about his father in all of the stories that my dad had told me about him ranging from the lead in the Oklahoma musical thing to his capture which involved a large amount of rubble, ashes, downed telephone poles and a broken tree. Warren was…nothing like my dad's description of Cerberus…so why?

"He's just different." I said aloud. I'd been talking about Warren but Mr. Cougar went on. "_Exactly_! Every generation before him followed the teachings and behaviors of their elders, wanting to be like them, and surpass them. By doing this, it became the only thing they could possibly know. The Fishman had his own morals, his own beliefs. He was smart enough to wonder what was good and bad, and the quality of it. He was a white sheep in a herd composed of black wool. And despite the doubt, fear and hatred he faced, he fought for good. Your grandfather, Mister Stronghold, recognized him as a true Hero. Can you imagine the honor of receiving an award for valor and bravery was coming directly from the legendary Colonel? It was because The Fishman had been _different_."

I allowed myself to become enclosed within my mind. I thought about what Layla had said about Warren. I thought about what was said here. And I smiled to myself. He _was_ different. Everyone had it wrong about him. Sure, I was almost positive that he still cared for his father and had a strong resentment for my father, but he was no longer projecting it onto me anymore. He was different now. Just different.


	30. The Start To A Nightmare?

**I am not going to adopt the persona of a writer who posts a second chapter within a day of the first one when they usually take a month to post again. I know that you all are a bit surprised, and most likely excited. **

**I've been reading reviews and messages and I'm glad that you appreciate how Drama decided to come out from hiding under the bed where it spent its time getting fat on sunchips and marshmellows after it remembered that this story is supposed to have a plot. Drama is currently on the treadmill working off the lazy weight, as I should be doing. It's a bit cooler outside so perhaps I shall go on a riveting walk while the annoying bug I call Creativity nags at my ear much like the fairy nutcake who flies around your innocent, hay blonde head shrieking, "Hey! Hey listen! Hey! Hey listen!" in Zelda while you're trying to get important plot-related stuff done like picking up your neighbor's dry cleaning because they're too lazy to go get it themselves and they don't have the guts to walk through the tall grass.**

**Since I got back from my vacation, I've been working every night at the restaurant, getting kisses from old, flirty men and hugs from adoring children and running around in thick black t-shirts which came from a pack of Wal-Mart men's t-shirts that my father was not wearing and I needed for my work uniform, and khaki colored shorts or rolled up pants sweating my ass off as I make salads, run food out, bussing tables, cater to my waitress's needs all by myself because the other hostess(s) is/are sitting down talking to her/their friends at table 4. Don't get me wrong, I do like my job and I do like money. It's just that I'm frustrated that these busy nights are only helping me maintain my current weight which went up about four or five pounds because I did zip for exercise on my vacation aside from swimming leisurely or extreme kayaking while singing and trying to handle my seperation from pineapple...**

**For those of my darlings living in Colorado, I feel very disturbed about the senseless killing that happened in that theatre showing Dark Knight. It makes my guts wrench at the horror of the scene descriptions and the witness's accounts. I hope no one lost anybody close to them. Stay together and be safe my darlings. **

**On that depressing note, I suppose I shall take Drama and Creativity out for a ten mile walk before work since we've all been getting a little chubby. Especially Drama****. **

**This is your chapter, my lovely little sickos. Enjoy it. I feel like pineapple...**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I didn't know where I was going. I was just riding, weaving through traffic, hardly comprehensive aside from avoiding potential collision and vaguely following driving laws. I didn't want to go home and I'd turned off my cell phone. I was avoiding my mom…I really didn't care to confront the subject any more than I wanted to run my bike off of a bridge.

I noticed some familiar houses and I slowed down. My bike came to a stop to where I usually stowed it…and I took off my helmet. I sighed quietly, realizing that I was in White Hills. I found myself wandering here aimlessly…well not particularly aimlessly…more and more often. I'd already been here three times tonight. The fourth time was the last straw I suppose.

That being realized, I got off my motorcycle and rolled it into the usual hiding spot. I found myself walking up the street, deeper into his neighborhood. I looked up at his house when I reached it. There were no vehicles in the driveway.

My hand brushed back through my hair and I groaned quietly. Then, with a shake of my head and a light chew to the inside of my lip, I went up the path and climbed the steps. I raised a fist and rapped my knuckles against the door. I heard feet padding around inside the house and a faint, "Coming!"

I shifted my boots and looked up when the door opened. Stronghold stood there, looking up at me. "Warren!" He exclaimed, then he glanced around and pulled me inside by my wrist. He closed the door behind me and looked apologetically up at me, "Listen, I can't go anywhere tonight. I promised my parents I'd stay home. And they should be here soon."

I shook my head, "No, I just…I just…want to talk to you…"

His eyebrows knit together and he took my hand, leading me into his living room where he sat me down on the couch. The coffee table was littered with notebooks, worksheets and textbooks. He might've been doing his homework before I came.

"Sure…is something wrong?" he asked worriedly, sitting beside me. I looked down at his hand, still holding mine. I brushed my thumb over his knuckle. He blushed looking down at our entwined fingers. "Uh," he started, but trailed off.

I disentangled my hand from his. "Listen…she wasn't concerned for you because of the whole…the uh…oh for god's sake, the way we _fuck_." Stronghold raised his eyebrows and blushed colorfully. "Uh…she's not?" He murmured, embarrassed and confused. And shocked by my utter bluntness.

"She's concerned for you because of _me_." I said firmly.

He shook his head, "I don't understand."

I brushed my hair back behind my ear and watched him lick his lips and swallow as I did. "She's worried because of the way I feel…about your father."

"…Oh…" he muttered softly.

It was quiet for a long moment until he shook his head. "Well, like I said before," he said, reaching to touch my face, "she doesn't need to be." He leaned in and closed his eyes. "I trust you." He breathed against my lips.

My eyes sunk closed and I pulled in by the palm I'd placed on the back of his neck. I kissed him firmly, and I brushed my tongue over his when it traced my lower lip. With a light smack, our lips parted. He breathed heavily against my face, his fingers threading through my hair. I shook my head and murmured, "You shouldn't."

Unconsciously, I was leaning into his combing fingers. He kissed my eyelids, and gently sucked on my lip after pulling it into his mouth.

Suddenly there was the sound of an engine outside. Two of them. Approaching. And lights. I heard the mild squeak of expensive breaks and looked over my shoulder, pulling away from his mouth.

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I opened my eyes when he pulled away. I heard car doors shut outside and through the open windows I heard voices drift. "Hah! Beatcha home!"

"Woman! It isn't fair if you take a shortcut through Twelfth Avenue!"

"You were right behind me so how is it not fair? Guess who's doing the dishes tonight? Will's gonna be _stoked_."

"I won't say it! I am going inside!" "Beat you up the steps!" "_No_!"

Warren looked back at me, eyes serious and a little bit wide. "They're coming through the front door. C'mon." I hurriedly whispered, my heart pounding. I grabbed his hand and brought him quickly to the kitchen. The front door opened just as I opened the door to outside.

"Hah! Beatcha again!"

"This game is rigged! You can't run in those heels! You're not Tina Fey!"

"That makes no sense…"

"I saw _Baby Mama_!"

"Whatever. Will! We're home!"

Warren glanced briefly into my eyes, brushed his heated palm against my cheek and went outside, sneaking away. I closed the door quietly and practically dove to the fridge, wrenching open the door, almost off its hinges.

"Will? Hey, get outta there. You'll spoil your dinner!" Mom laughed as she came into the kitchen. I backed out of the fridge with a soda. "But I'm hungry!" I looked at my watch, "And it's 6:30! You're so totally late."

Mom laughed, "I know, I know. Just let me get,"

"Hey, what smells good?" Dad asked, coming in, loosening his tie. Mom paused and sniffed the air and looked at the oven. The timer was down to five minutes and there were potatoes and broccoli staying warm on the stovetop.

"Will, did you…?"

I shrugged, "Well, the chicken was defrosted and just chilling in the sink and I finished my homework early."

Mom went over and cracked open the oven to get look at the roasting chicken. Dad peeked as he slipped his tie from his collar. "Look at that! He even shoved some stuffing in it!"

"Oh, Will," Mom started, closing the oven. I shook my head and cracked open my soda, "It's not that big a deal, Mom."

Dad laughed, "Didn't know you knew how to roast a chicken."

I shook my head, "I don't." I opened the silverware drawer and pulled out a Rachael Ray magazine that Mom subscribed to that I had stashed. "Rach gave me a few tips though. And for the record, I don't even think I've ever heard of Oregano." I smiled and sipped from my soda before Mom wrapped me in a hug. She squeezed me tightly and I lifted her off the floor with one arm around her waist.

"Whoa! Okay, that's enough!" She laughed as I put her back down.

"I'm gonna go clean up my homework so we can watch TV or something after dinner." I said, setting down my soda on the counter and moving past them. Dad gave me a slap on the back that only slightly drove the air from my lungs. "Thanks, Buddy."

I coughed quietly, "No…ugh, not a big deal."

I went into the living room, drawing in air and cringed at the robot eye on the shelf I glanced at the couch and realized it had lay witness to the small conversation and brief kiss I'd had with Warren. I shook my head, "_Okay_! That's it. You are too goddamn creepy to be seeing the light of day."

I picked it up off of the shelf and took it to the kitchen where Mom and Dad were clamoring over the meal I'd prepared. "_Dad_."

He turned around and looked at me inquisitively. "Hmm?"

"You know I love you right?"

Dad nodded with a smirk, "That chicken says so!"

I held up the robot eye, "Googly Eye here needs a new home! I always feel like somebody's watchin' me!" Dad laughed and took the robot eye from me, "I love that song."

I firmly pointed at the robot eye and said, "Sanctum…now." Dad glanced at Mom who raised her eyebrows in agreement. "Oh, fine." He grumbled and left the kitchen muttering under his breath. "Of course I appreciate you. Don't listen to them, you're not creepy."

"_Yes_ it is!" I called.

Mom patted my shoulder, "_Thank_ you. I didn't want to be the bad guy."

I shook my head, "I'll let him beat me at pool later."

"You're a good man, Charlie Brown." Mom commented.

* * *

"Dad, his name is _Colonel_ Mustard." I laughed.

"He's right, Steve." Mom smiled. "I mean look at that mustache. Only Colonel's have mustaches like that. Your dad had a mustache like that."

Dad moved his piece, "My name is _Commander_ Mustard, and that is final."

I shook my head and laughed, "I can't believe I am actually sitting here playing Clue with you two." Mom cocked her eyebrow at me, "We are awesome social company!"

Dad agreed, crunching on Smartfood popcorn, "Indubitably."

I adjusted my body from where I sat on the carpet around the coffee table to avoid my leg falling asleep. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was about 10:15pm. "I'm surprised you haven't sent me to bed yet." Dad threw his hands up in the air, "No one leaves this game until I prove that it was the Evil Peacock Lady in the Library with the Rope!"

I laughed and covered my face.

Mom shook her head, "Shamrock Guy in the Ballroom with the Wrench!"

I interjected, "You're both wrong. The White Maid Lady in the Dining Room with the Candlestick."

They looked at me and we all teasingly narrowed our eyes at one another. Then we dove for the Classified Folder. Dad held us at bay and opened the folder. He placed the cards down on the table, one at a time. "HAH! The Evil Peacock Lady!"

I pointed, "In the Dining Room."

"With the Wrench." Mom finished.

We looked around at each other and shook our heads.

"The Evil Peacock Lady doesn't eat feasts, she eats beetle hearts, so she wouldn't have been in the Dining Room."

"She's not strong enough to wield the Wrench."

"What was a wrench doing in the Dining Room anyways?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah."

"Concur."

Mom reached to my head to brush her fingers through my hair or something. I leaned away at first, but gave in and let her. Then we began cleaning up the game. I gathered the cards together as Dad folded the board and Mom picked up the pieces.

"So, Will," Dad started.

I ducked under the table to retrieve the Rope card. "Yeah, Dad?"

"How's your relationship with your girlfriend?"

I hit my head on the side of the coffee table as I sat up quickly, making it leap off the floor a good foot and a half. Mom pushed Dad and hissed, "Steve!"

"I _know_ you said we should wait until he's comfortable enough to talk to us about it himself, but we _all_ know that _we_ know so I thought it'd be okay to just talk about it! I _just_ want to know, Will. We used to talk about everything, Buddy! Right up until you started high school." Dad said, looking at me with his wiser, blue eyes, a little disappointed.

Mom touched my arm, "Will, we really do understand if you're not ready to share. Fourteen is a delicate, confusing age,"

"But he's gonna be fifteen in a couple weeks! He's not so delicate and childish anymore! Just like _you_ said, Josie! The swimming pool surprise proved that!"

"_Steve_!" Mom exclaimed.

I quickly got to my feet, "I'm not ready to talk about this." I turned to leave and added guiltily, "_You're_ not ready to hear it."

"What does that mean?" Dad called as I ran up the stairs to my room. I closed the door firmly behind me and leaned my forehead against it with a shudder.

I turned away from the solid wood and pulled up my shirt. My eyes trailed over the healing remnants of Warren's handprint on my skin. I traced the faint marks of his fingertips gingerly, wishing that he hadn't gone. That he was here in my room to gather me into his arms and cocoon me in the warmth of his embrace.

I let my shirt back down and undid my jeans, stepping out of them and leaving them on the floor. Then I turned out the light, and laid down on my bed. And for some reason, I started to silently cry. I dragged one of my pillows to me face and let the tears fall.

On one hand, I keep it all a secret. A secret that my parents were aware of, that would potentially distance myself from them. But would keep Warren close. On another hand, I tell them. First they fly off the handle about the fact that Warren's a guy, next it gets colder when I tell them who Warren is. Or maybe they don't freak out all that much or stay angry, but who knew how uncomfortable it would make Warren. He wouldn't want to meet them, and he'd probably feel threatened by Dad's knowledge of him and would refuse to be with me.

Warren was already acting strangely. But he'd sort of told his mom about me I suppose. So maybe that was entirely the reason he seemed worried, and odd. It didn't entirely help that she didn't seem to trust him because of my name or who my father was. Maybe it would've been easier if I wasn't Will Stronghold.

But then again, Warren wouldn't have hated me, fought me, discovered my secret and then started this bout of sexual desire, affection filled…relationship…?

I wiped my tears on my sleeve. I had never held his hand like that before. His fingers had been so warm, and the pad of his thumb had made my knuckle tingle with heat as he stroked it.

My sensual thoughts were interrupted by the memory of Dad's bluntness, his prying questions and imploring eyes. I squeezed my own eyes closed. My brain was tortured by confusion, indecision and need until I fell hard into sleep.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I finally arrived at home around 12:30pm, hoping that she would either be asleep of working somewhere as the Peacemaker, negotiating a in some bank hold-up in New York City or something colorful like that. But no such luck.

I knew she was in the kitchen so I took off my boots and my jacket at the door and went straight there. Sure enough, she was there, making tea. She looked up at me as she bounced the teabag in the hot water. She'd twisted her long dark hair into a braid and she was wearing a long sleeve thermal and bed shorts. On the outside she seemed relaxed and ready for bed. But those tawny eyes were windows into a room of inexplicable thoughts and feelings. She looked down into her tea.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorway. "I have to get up in five hours, so we might as well get this over with." I said gruffly, sounding indifferent but I realized that she knew what I really felt. Worry. Guilt. Loathing.

"Alright, Warren." She said, blowing on her tea. She took an attentive sip and then placed the cup down on the island. Then she took her braid from her shoulder and let it fall down her back. I braced myself for one of her calm tongue-lashings. She looked into my eyes and said, "What you're doing goes against any moral thing I attempted to teach you through your entire life. I mean, I understand that you hold a slight resentment towards me because I'm often not around and I don't talk as much as you would prefer, or I talk too much. I'm sure _I _deserve that, but what you feel towards the man who put your father,"

I stiffened at her mentioning him.

"in jail is not something that should be taken out on his innocent son. I must say that I am _appalled_ and even a bit disgusted at what you're doing to him." She said seriously. I averted my gaze, my jaw clenched. "And you deserve all of the guilt that you're becoming consumed with." She said, carefully sipping from her tea.

"I don't even know if what I planned is what I'm doing anymore." I murmured coldly.

"Oh, I know. The anger at yourself for the indecision, the confliction, and the confused affection." She said, holding her cup between her hands. "You've never let someone spend the night in your bed with you before, Warren. You've never strayed from your room with anyone before. You've grown to care for him."

A vein in my neck pulsed and I hated the words she spoke in that moment…because they were all true.

"Warren, I understand why you resent The Commander,"

My fists clenched at the name.

"_But_ at some point, you're going to have to look at your father not just as you father…but as _Cerberus_. Look at old newspapers, find an internet profile, something. Your father was a good man in certain ways. But Cerberus is a _bad_ person." She said seriously.

"_You_ still love him." I accused.

And she nodded, "Yes. I do. And it _hurts_. And I don't want you to hurt anymore. You tell me all the time that you _aren't_ him. Well, he would hurt an innocent boy just to spite and hurt The Commander. Hell, he would hurt an innocent person, just to hurt them. You say that you're not him? Well, _prove_ it." Her tawny eyes stared widely and challengingly into mine. I held her gaze for as long as I could until I gave in.

"Goodnight, Mom." I grudgingly said. And then I turned and started down the hallway. I heard her speak as I reached the stairs, "Goodnight, Warren."

I went upstairs to my room and shut the door quietly. Then I threw off my shirt and plopped down on my bed. I growled, "'_Prove_ _it'_…for fuck's sake…turning into a nightmare…" I scrubbed my face with my palms. I closed my eyes as I rested the back of my hand on my forehead, "Could use a _fucking_ cigarette…"

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I desperately searched the hallway as endless throngs of gray, faceless students walked all around me. I got down on my hands and knees looking for it.

I found bright orange Converse and looked up at Ethan, his face beaten his glasses broken into his nose, blood trailing down his face. "_WILL!_" he shrieked, sending a shudder down my spine. A striped arm seized him around the waist and yanked him away from me, disappearing through the crowd of students who started all screaming and running as wind tore through the hallways. I flinched when one tripped over another and landed in front of me. He wasn't faceless at all, there was a thick gray layer of skin over his face that stretched as he mouth opened wide and screamed a muffled scream.

I jumped to my feet and tried to run against the barrage of faceless, screaming students as the hallways started to tilt. "You promised you'd lay off the freshmen! You lost the bet!" I yelled as I climbed the tilting floors and over the ledge, struggling to climb up. Gwen dropped to her knees on the ledge, dressed neatly in pink even as her hair whipped around her with the wind. Above the screaming she worriedly helped me onto the ledge and looked into my eyes. Her eyes were wide and frightened. "It'll be okay." She said sweetly and she kissed my cheek.

"_WILL!_"

I looked up to the ceiling and saw another hallway above me. Layla was trying to climb out of Speed's locker, pushing its teeth up and down to keep it from biting her in half and struggling to free herself of its tongue wrapped around her waist. "I'm coming!" I called and jumped to my feet and into the air. I grabbed her hand when I came to land on my feet. She fearfully looked into my eyes as the locker shrieked and I tugged on her arm. "Did you find the lemon I made?"

I pushed the teeth up away from her head as they tried to clamp down, still tugging on her arm to get her free from the tongue. I shook my head, "No!"

"You have to find it! We have to make lemonade!" She cried.

"_WILL!_ Gimme a hand, bro!" Zack's voice called.

I turned and looked over my shoulder and saw Zack trying to escape the black hole of another locker, feeding on his glowing form across the hall. He reached for my hand, his hair fluttering in the wind, his eyes wide and horrified. His face was so pale and his body and clothes were losing their color. I looked back at Layla. The teeth were jabbing her shoulders and her legs, making them bleed as she screamed in pain. I grabbed the lockers tongue and tore it in half, making it let out a bloodcurdling shriek. I yanked Layla out from its jaws and quickly slammed it shut behind her. I looked at the blood flowing heavily down her body. She ran across the hall before I could say anything and grabbed Zack's hand. I ran after her and seized Zack's other flailing arm.

"_WILL!_"

I looked up to the ceiling that wasn't there and saw Lash and Speed dumping Ethan from a bucket into a toilet in the boy's bathroom. I looked at Layla whose arm was suddenly seized. She turned around and touched Magenta's bloody face. Her eyes were gone from their sockets. Magenta said, clenching Layla's guiding hands, "We can get Zack. Go get Ethan!"

"We have to make lemonade!" Layla cried out.

I let go of Zack and the hallway turned upside down. I was now standing in the boy's bathroom. I grabbed at Speed who shoved me away, "Back off, Sidekick!"

"But I'm a Hero now!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him up into the air. Blood came away in my hand. Lash stomped on the flusher and Ethan's melted form spun. His hand reached out for mine, "_WILL!_" I thrust my hand into the toilet, "Ethan! Ah!" I yanked my hand back out, my skin burning and smoking acidly as bits of my flesh melted away.

"_WILL!_" Zack cried.

"Help us! _WILL!_" Layla called desperately.

"Get off Magenta!" Zach shouted.

I looked up and saw Speed get off of the floor in the hallway, revealing a crushed purple-streaked guinea pig. "No!"

"_WILL!_"

Zack hung in the darkness of the black holed locker by one hand. His body was completely devoid of color and his skin was starting to flake off in white ashen pieces. The toothed locker burst open and the tongue whipped out, seizing Layla who screamed. It yanked her into its mouth, teeth clamping down, crunching bone and spilling blood. Lash threw Magenta into the black holed locker. Zack caught her as his hand burst into moths and he tumbled with Magenta into the darkness.

The lockers slammed shut on my friends and suddenly I was falling through the air and I hit the floor in the gym hard. I coughed and looked up when I heard his angry voice. "Stronghold!"

Warren glared down at me through fiery wind as the flames raged across his body and around me. And then he seized me by the throat and lifted me into the air. "No more." He spat, flames reaching from between his lips. He thrust me back through the air. The glass of the windows shattered as I crashed through them. I screamed as I fell into the darkness of the night sky. The moon roared and the stars hissed at me as I fell down, down, down. Houses came up from beneath me and my body exploded in pain.

"Will! Will! Josie, stay back. Will! Calm down! There you go. It's okay." Came Dad's voice. I realized my eyes were wide open and a light was on. I was in my _bedroom_. The nightstand was flipped over, and my guitar laid pathetically against the wall, a crack across the front and four strings broken. My bedsheets were spilled on the floor. wall had dents. And my body was pinned tightly to my dad's in his strong, trapping arms.

I heard somebody gasping for air and realized that it was me. My eyes were wet. I choked out, "Dad, wh…I,"

"Shh…shh, it's okay, Will. You're awake now. It's alright." Dad said, loosening his arms around me. I felt my body trembling. Mom came around the bed and knelt down. She pushed her fingers through my hair. "You scared the hell out of me."

She thumbed a tear from under my eye and said, "But obviously not as much as this scared you." I glanced around at the slightly toppled over pieces of furniture that were nearest my bed. A part of my headboard was even splintered and cracked. I looked sadly at my guitar.

I realized that I'd been thrashing violently in my sleep. My throat was raw so I guessed that I'd been screaming too. I laid my head against Dad's arm and heaved a sigh, closing my eyes. Dad's bigger hand carded through my hair gently. "Are you okay, Buddy?"

"Yes…" I murmured, embarrassed now. I hadn't had a nightmare for several years now…or at least one that seemed to require the attention of my parents. I'd certainly never had a nightmare like that. And I'd never caused damage during a nightmare before.

What had it all meant? But then again, I didn't want to talk or think about what I could remember of it.

For the first time in years, I allowed Dad to hold onto me as I started to slip into sleep. I was comforted by their hands caressed my face and my hair. Somewhere between sleep and consciousness I heard them quietly speak.

"What does your Psychology degree have to say about night terrors? He's never been a thrasher…not even as a kid." Dad asked.

"I'm not sure. A large, frightening change, or a racing, full mind. Indecision or worry. It could be anything." Mom said. "Even the scene downstairs a few hours ago might have triggered it."

Dad sighed, "Well, can you take his guitar downstairs? I'll drop it off at _Blunt Instruments_ to have it fixed. He loves that thing."

"Goodnight, Will."

"Sweeter dreams, Buddy."


	31. Still Private?

**Oh...ouch. It's been OVER a month...whoops. **

**Days just blend together when you work late every night in a restaurant. I tend to sleep until noon and then wake up with a few hours to spare before I have to get ready for work. Or I work late and then work the next morning. Get a workout in, watch the deadly television...I'm STILL waiting for Psych to come back...that last episode was the most horrifying cliffhanger EVER and it hurt my feelings. My friends have all moved on to college and I feel a little left behind seeing as I'm not starting up in the film academy until January. I don't have many people to hang out with and the only clothes I seem to wear are khaki shorts and a black tshirt for work! I WANT TO WEAR MY SPIDER WEB DRESS DAMNIT! **

**It's just exhausting...and they won't let me waitress. Kim says it's because we're staffed. But I think my former coworker, Clara, was right: I'm just too good a hostess and too willing to help people. **

**I've received plenty of comments and messages, begging me for me. And quite honestly, I worked on the chapter sure. But only a little at a time. I had a hard time trying to figure out how to get where I wanted to be in this chapter. And honestly, I'm not amazingly proud of it. Only a little proud and that's because I managed to finish it with one of my signatures XDDD**

**I hope you can find it in your sicko little hearts to forgive me. I hand this over as a truce present, and maybe I can successfully sleep through the night tonight.**

**Forever yours truly, **

**The Pineapple-Loving Bitch Who Makes You Wait**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I pulled in a deep breath through my nostrils and yawned. I kept my eyes closed, trying to hold onto the last fleeting moments of my dream. I tried to bring back his dark chocolate gaze. How he'd held me in his arms in his bed in his room, but not quite his bedroom as it usually was with dreams. I think it was a crossbreed between a grocery store conveyor belt and his bed. I think I'd been worried that someone might see us. I tried to remember how his warm breath had felt on my face when he murmured comfortingly, "It's okay, baby. It won't start for a while."

Briefly, I opened my eyes. _Baby… _I closed my eyes again, a smile playing my lips. I remembered now how he'd called me that in the midst of coming deliriously all over the island in his kitchen. I snorted at the crudeness of the situation when I took a step back from it. I wondered if his mom knew what had happened in her kitchen, and I felt a little embarrassed.

I waited a few moments before rolling over, and opening my eyes to look at my clock. I stared at the sad, slightly dim numbers for a few minutes until the alarm beeped fuzzily. I gently pressed the snooze bar, turned off the alarm and rolled back over. I raised my arms and stretched with a groan as my tired muscles worked out the stiffness of sleep. I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with air and slightly cracking my spine and I paused.

I sniffed at the air and caught the aroma of whatever was going on down in the kitchen. I knew that smell. Then I sighed, remembering what had happened in my bedroom last night.

I glanced around and saw that Mom had straightened anything upset by my thrashing. And my guitar was missing as well. I rubbed at my eyes and sat up. Briefly, I contemplated hiding out up here until I had to rush down to catch the bus…but I decided against it.

As a kid, every time I had a bad dream, which mostly consisted of Mom and Dad never being able to come home ever again because of combat related death and me being too weak to do anything, Mom made pancakes the next morning. And not just your usual diner short stack. Lots of pancakes.

Strawberry pancakes, blueberry pancakes, oatmeal and pear pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, apple pancakes, pineapple pancakes which are much tastier than they sound…

I pushed myself from bed and went to the bathroom. I stripped off my shirt and my boxers, and then turned on the shower. With a glance into the mirror, I observed my body habitually. The bruises and the burns were so faint that I could hardly see them. I fingered the faded handprint on my chest and gingerly traced the one on my hip.

The mirror began to steam up, blurring my image. So I climbed into the shower, under the heated spray. I soaped up my body and washed my hair quickly, occasionally catching water in my mouth. I rinsed off and watched the suds circle the drain before turning the faucet to off and stepping out.

I toweled and combed my hair with my fingers as I went back into my room. I glanced at the clock and allowed myself to find a well-selected shirt today. After I was dressed, I slung my bag over my shoulder and went downstairs.

"I don't know what it is about oatmeal and pear that I love so much when they're brought together in the fluffiness of pancake batter. And with a chocolate one in the middle like a wonderful, fluffy, fruity, chocolate-y sandwich? Delicious!" Dad exclaimed.

I entered the kitchen and they looked over at me. Mom smiled gently…Dad did as well. We'd gone out separate ways after a slight argument last night, then they comforted in the throngs of a night terror, so I guess it was truce. But yet, I still felt awkward.

"Mornin'." I said, setting down my back pack and snatching a strawberry pancake off the platter. Mom laughed, "Good morning. Hey, don't just eat that with your fing," she opened the cupboard and pulled out a plate, "use a plate you animal." Dad shrugged, waving his fork, "That's how I'd eat'em if they weren't so syrupy by requirement of my taste buds." He adjusted his glasses smartly as he spoke as a matter-of-factly.

"You're a nutcake." Mom said blatantly as I sat down with my bitten strawberry pancake, and a newly kidnapped blueberry pancake. There was a knock at the door and Layla came in. "Good morning, everyone." Came her sweet greeting. She paused and looked around at the spectacle in the kitchen. Obviously, she recognized the post-nightmare type of pancake buffet we had going on here.

She caught my eye and I subtly shook my head, widening my eyes a little at here. She gave a small nod, getting my warning not to mention it. Mom smiled, "Morning Layla. I was thinking of you! Check it out, egg-free, honey-almond-pear pancakes. Layla raised her eyebrows at the breakfast Mom presented her with, "_Wow_. Only you can make pancakes that fluffy without eggs…well aside from my mom."

Mom laughed, "Not bad for an amateur huh? Here you go," she handed over the surprisingly fluffy pancakes. "How _is_ your mom?"

Layla sat down beside me and picked up a fork, "She's okay. She's been having the Animal Rights group over at our house every Friday for the past couple of weeks and she's going to be going to Africa for Christmas to talk with the elephants."

"Are you and your father going with her?" Dad asked.

Layla smiled, "Are you kidding? Dad would never miss a chance to paint the African savanna. And I doubt if I'd ever miss hanging out with all of that vegetation."

Mom raised her eyebrows and nodded, "Well I guess that's a very thorough yes. Do you have a house sitter? Because we can take care of it."

Layla smirked and nudged me.

"You mean '_Will_ can take care of it' Miss _I'm Going To Win The Trip To Hawaii This Christmas_." I said, licking syrup from my lip.

Dad laughed, and gestured at me with his fork, "_Probably_."

Mom stood at the island stove as she ate her own breakfast, "Does anyone want more?" Dad held up his plate and spoke with his mouth full, "Meee!"

"Well, get up and get it before I put it away." Mom said, clanking her spatula against her frying pan. Dad groaned and dragged himself from his chair, stacking pancakes onto his plate. He spread a little butter on them and then poured syrup over them as he sat back down firmly.

Mom slipped the pancakes into their own separate bags and sucked the air out of them with her Food Sealer. She slipped the previous buffet into the freezer, each with their own identification marked in sharpie. Then she put the dishes in the sink. I stood up with my empty plate and said, "I got'em Mom."

"No, it's alright Will," She started.

I shook my head, slipping my dishes into the sink, "I got it, Mom." Layla got up and handed me her dishes. As I started scrubbing, the familiar ring of The Phone rang. Dad chewed his pancakes cautiously as Mom answered the small red cell phone. "Go." She said seriously.

A pause. "Oh? Yes. Thank you Mr. Mayor. We're on our way."

Dad stammered, "But,"

"The Vault at the bank is behind held down. Hostage situation. The Peacemaker says they're going to kill somebody and she needs us."

"But my pan-oh fine." Dad said, as Mom seized his wrist and dragged him out of the kitchen. "They can wait! This is the only time you're ever not serious about crime! See if I ever do the pancake buffet thing again! You can't trade a pancake for a life!"

Layla stared after them briefly and then said, "Magenta texted me this morning about Zack." I scrubbed at the frying pan, "Really?" I got a little tense. Magenta could be ruthless when she wanted to be. _Poor Zack._

"Apparently he called her a couple of times and changed his mind after the first ring." She said, frowning.

I shook my head and said out loud, "Poor Zack. So hopelessly smitten." Layla nodded, "Oh yeah. I know. I asked Maj if she was going to let it go on and said that it'll all work out when he's ready."

"Does that mean she likes him too?" I asked.

Layla shrugged, "I don't know. I'm not sure. When I asked her that, she said 'There is potential'. So I don't know if that means she does or she could. But either way, she sounded like she was evilly stroking her cat in her lap."

I shrugged back, "You never know with Magenta."

Layla leaned against the counter. "Did you have a nightmare last night? Because if I remember correctly, a pancake buffet meant," I cut her off quickly, "Yeah, yeah. But it was more like a night terror. I thrashed around and screamed in my sleep. I've never had a nightmare like that."

Layla tilted her head at me and asked, "Are you okay?"

I watched the suds as they dripped off of the plate I was rinsing and muttered, "Yeah. It was just a really…insane dream." I shuddered, thinking of the ways that my closest friends had died in my nightmare.

"What was it,"

I cut her off gently, "I don't want to talk about it."

Layla nodded, her red pigtails bouncing a bit, "I understand." I heaved a sigh and put the last plate in the drying rack and rinsed off my hands. "We might as well head to the bus stop. I can't call Ron for a late ride again."

I dried my hands and picked up my bag from the chair. Layla slipped her bag over her shoulder and followed me out, "Yeah. Even though I was a bit…preoccupied, I did notice that I was standing alone at the bus stop. How come you were late?"

"Woke up late." I said as we walked to the sidewalk. Lying had become just about second nature to me now. I glanced up at the sky as we walked leisurely past Layla's house. It was a bit cloudy and pretty gray. _Rain's gonna suck all the way up there…_

"How about 'got home late'?"

I froze. Layla continued one step but stopped and looked at me. I looked at her with wide eyes as she shrugged, "Or early. However you wanna put it."

"I-I…How…"

"If I hadn't been watering my ficus tree in the mudroom, I wouldn't have seen you hurrying up to your house." Layla said. She smiled lightly, "Will, I'm not gonna ground you. Calm down."

She started walking again, glancing over her shoulder, "C'mon."

After a moment, I got my feet to move and I caught up with her.

"So what did you tell your parents?" she asked, hardly sounding like any of it bothered her. Just curious.

"I…told them that I was at Zack's…"

She nodded, "Oh," Then she raised her eyebrows curiously and half-whispered, "Where were you really?"

I kept quiet. Not purposefully at least. I was at a loss for words and I honestly had no idea how to respond. I hadn't really _actually_ considered telling anybody. When the topic would enter my mind, I'd shoot it down with a 'as if that could happen' sort of attitude.

_So what the hell am I supposed to say?!_

"Okay, I understand completely if you're uncomfortable talking about it." Layla said turning away slightly as we walked.

"Uh…"

"Oh! Will, I totally understand, but it doesn't make me _not_ want to know!" She said excitedly. She touched my arm and whispered loudly, "Listen, I've been talking with Magenta a little bit and she says that you're in a secret relationship!" My heart jumped to my throat and I shuddered, realizing that those dark eyes really _had_ been penetrating my soul and salvaging my innermost secrets.

I rubbed at my blushing face, "What makes you think it's any of your business?! Or _Magenta's_?!"

Layla flinched, her curious smiled faded away and she frowned. Guilt rode up in my gut and I quickly said, "I'm sorry."

Layla stared at me as we walked and then smiled meekly, grasping her pack strap, "No, _I'm_ sorry. You have a right to your privacy. I shouldn't have pried."

"It's just…really _complicated_…" I muttered. Layla always talked about equality and love for everyone so I supposed that she wouldn't have a problem with the fact that I was very much…involved with another guy. The intertwined enemies part would surprise her. And she would ask so many questions. Questions I didn't know how to answer.

Why didn't you tell me?

How did this all start?

How come you don't act like you're in a relationship?

Why don't you hold hands?

Why aren't you public?

Is it a real relationship?

How did you let it get this far?  
I shook my head and heaved a sigh. I'd been keeping it a secret so long I had no idea where to start. Layla lifted her head slightly, recognizing the fact that I was about to speak. Maybe open up?  
But I closed my mouth when I came to the realization that we were only a yard or two away from the bus stop. And I could hear the rumble of Ron Wilson, bus driver's bus approaching. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Layla look disappointedly at the bus, slightly frustrated by the lost opportunity. Inwardly, I sighed in relief.

I nodded with a forced smile when Ron Wilson, bus driver gave me his usual morning greeting. "Morning, Will!"

"Mornin', Ron."

I slipped to the middle of the bus and looked at Zack as he scooted toward the window. I shook my head, "Nah, I'll take the inside today man." He raised his eyebrows and smirked with a nod. I suppose I granted a private wish of his or something because he happily got up out of the seat and let me in. As soon as I was safely stuffed on the inside of the seat with Zack acting as my wall against Layla's prying, Zack spoke, "So I saw your mom and dad go flying a little while ago. Big trouble someplace?"

I shrugged, not meeting his eyes, "Yeah, I guess there's a hostage situation."

Zack tilted his head, leaning over to try and catch my eye, "You okay, dude?"

I looked at him and nodded, "Sort of."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay…_Dude_! You have to come over tonight. You gotta see my dad playing DDR. It is the funniest thing I've ever seen. Well besides watching Layla peel Mr. Boy off the ceiling when something explodes in the Lab." Zack laughed.

I smiled, "Since when do you have DDR?"

That was one thing that was good about Zack. He wasn't the most persistent guy. Perhaps it was because he was easily distracted. But if I didn't want to talk about something, he moved on. Well, for a while anyways until he'd remember that something was wrong and ask me again a day or two later. Regardless of that fact, his distracted self was what I wanted right then.

Zack shrugged, "Around the same time we got Rock Band?"

"When did you get that?"

"A week before I got my grandma to play drums on it."

"When was _that_?!"  
Zack paused, "I…I don't freakin' know! I'm so confused!"

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I sat there on my bike, watching as the bus came to a stop in front of the bus stop. The few students waiting hurried aboard, expecting me to be bringing up the rear as I usually did. The parking lot tar stirred as I shifted the heel of my boot, going to move. But I stopped. And just sat there.

The last kid emptied the steps onto the bus, clearing the view of the bus driver. A fifty-something, leanly muscled guy with a deep, gravelly voice; faded dark fire tattoos on either side of his neck; hairy, scarred forearms; and longish sandy hair tied back with what was left of a leather shoelace. Greg. It was rumored that the scars on his forearms were from a battle in which a villain drew out his powers with tentacles infused with needles.

Sure it was bullshit, but the guy didn't really talk and no one _really_ knew a thing about him. At times I thought he was me in another thirty-plus years.

His steely gray eyes looked across the parking lot and caught my gaze. He stared quietly for a few seconds. His usually dull eyes asked me silently if I was coming or not. I didn't know the answer to that question.

I wasn't sure if this was a day I wanted to face. But I'd never made a decision like this so late. When I usually ditched, I didn't show up to the bus stop at all. Even the kids on the bus were looking out at me in this unusual situation, curiously wondering what was going on in my head.

I was wondering what was going on in my head. It was a confused, tangled, angry mess. My fingers brushed back through my hair and I broke the gaze with Greg.

My original intentions.

Stronghold.

What Mom had to say.

Hatred of myself.

Stronghold.

My fucking indecision.

I looked up after a moment when I heard the bus door close. Greg wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking forward, shifting the bus out of park and moving leisurely down the street. I could feel the eyes of its passengers until the bus moved out of view.

Quietly I sighed. _Too late now…_

I licked my lower lip and rubbed the tip of my middle finger against the pad of my thumb, itching for a cigarette. My eyes sunk closed as I listened to the wind brush through the few trees decorating this sad little parking lot. A few fallen leaves skittered across the asphalt. A squirrel chittered somewhere close and a pigeon answered it.

My hand lifted out of my pocket and my palm slid along the chest of my Harley. It was smooth yet unyielding as the leather of my glove paused along the surface. Unconsciously fire reached from my fingertips and around the handlebar. It squeezed the metal.

Heaving a sigh, I swung a leg over my motorcycle and put on my helmet.

_At least if I die trying this I won't have to face it anymore…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Yeah, I was there!"

"He just came shooting out of nowhere!"

"It scared the shit out of me."

"Is he even allowed to do that?"  
I nudged through the hallways before fourth period. I'd been hearing this chatter going on even in the confines of the classroom. I wanted to see if it was all true. And if it was, I wished I had been there to see it.

I slipped out the front door and looked around from atop the grand steps. And sure enough, there it was. Warren's Harley. Leaning comfortably on a patch of the asphalt beside the grass, far enough away to discourage any touching, but still on the floating island.

Silently, I wished again I'd been able to see it. I'd been on the back of that motorcycle when it had erupted in flames and rose into the sky before. But my eyes had been tightly shut out of utter fear. I wished I'd been there, with my eyes open to see him emerge from the clouds in a blaze of glorious fire like a mighty firebird and land heavily on the lot of asphalt where the buses gathered and parked.

His helmet hung from one handlebar. And my helmet was still strapped to the seat behind where Warren usually sat. The place where I sat, with my arms wrapped around his waist.

I shook my head vigorously when I imagined my legs wrapped around his waist.

Hoping to see him somewhere, I scanned the grounds. But he wasn't walking anywhere, or sitting in his usual spot reading.

Hands slipped around my neck, softer than I was used to. And I jumped. "Hey! There you are!" I turned my head and looked at Gwen's bright smile. "C'mon, let's get to the library. We have to get you ready for the Charlon Chain Reaction Trap Box lab test."

"You know I'm just gonna get my hand chopped off," I groaned.

She lifted her arms from my shoulders and turned me around. "That attitude isn't going to help you pass. I'm sure you're going to do great _if_ you get practice."

"You're not gonna blindfold me again are you?" I whined, holding back a smirk.

"We'll wait for a home study session before I risk blowing up the library."

That made me laughed. And in turn she laughed too.

"Let me just stop at my locker to get my notes." I said.

She nodded as we walked inside, "I'll come with you."

Weaving through the loitering, gossiping crowd was a time indeed. Some stopped to stare at us. And I could practically hear the things they might say once we were out of earshot. Gwen didn't seem to notice them as she dug through her purse, looking for her good pen.

"Can't you just make a good pen?" I asked as I started putting the combination into my locker.

Gwen shook her head, distractedly digging, "Not unless it was an electric pen." She paused and looked at me, "You know that's not a bad idea. I should try that." I shrugged, "Sometimes idiots come up with not bad ideas."

Gwen chuckled, "You're far from an idiot Mr. Stronghold."

I cocked an eyebrow and said with a pristine, fashionable, uppity tone, "I beg to differ my darling Miss Grayson." I pulled my Mad Science textbook from my locker and dug for my notebook as Gwen giggled. Then she tilted her head, "Wow. Your locker looks like the Hurricane blew through it."

I sighed, "Yeah I know. I try to keep it organized, but during the day I'm in a big hurry between studying and classes so I just shove crap in there." A solid shoulder bumped through mine, sending my textbook tumbling to the floor. I knew who it was before I even looked. But I still looked after him. Gwen looked over her shoulder after him too.

He strode away, his long hair slightly catching the breeze as he walked. His steps didn't seem a hard, confident and uncaring. His steps were shorter and strained which wasn't a usual thing for his long legs. He stopped moving altogether at the corner. Then he glanced over his shoulder at me. His dark chocolate eyes were so distant and still, studying me.

And I couldn't help the blush that came on. I quickly crouched down to retrieve my book, averting my gaze. I glanced up after a few seconds and saw that he had disappeared. I allowed myself to smile a little bit at the dull ache in my shoulder. But then I frowned. Why were his footsteps so different? And he'd never actually stopped after giving me a love-tap in the hallway.

I bit my lip as I rose back up. _Love-tap?_ In our own private little world, it was like our wonderful secret. Something that no one else really _understood_. To them it was some bullying gesture, a symbol of hatred, and of my weakness. But to me, it was that acknowledgement of what he could give to me, and what I would gladly accept from him. Something he could take from me, and what I would gladly give to him.

I fixed the crinkled pages of the textbook quietly. Gwen looked back at me. And out of the corner of my eye I saw her bite her lip. Then she leaned in close and whispered, "I know I shouldn't say anything, but I think you two would be fine if you dropped the enemy thing and just give people a chance to accept your relationship."

Ice could have formed in my throat as I looked up from the neat word columns, photos and illustrations of my textbook. "_What_?"


	32. Cherry Lips, and A Deep, Warped Voice

**When I bring home a pineapple from the grocery store every Saturday, I delay slicing it up for as long as I possibly can stand it because I want to save my precious pineapple for as long as I can. And once I give in, and slice it up, I put the delicious yellow, juicy chunks into a plastic container, eat a handful and put the container in the fridge. Throughout the duration of maybe two or three days I sit down with that container of delicious, yellow paradise and stuff my mouth with it until I force myself to leave enough for another time. **

**Sometimes I try to sedate the ravenous, pineapple-adoring beast that lives in my tummy by sitting down with a similar container of grapes. And though I don't love grapes as much as I love pineapple, I sit there and stuff my mouth full of the green or purple happiness until I force myself to leave some for next time. Or maybe I'll stray to a fleshy peach, or a citrusy orange, or a sour granny smith apple, or a wonderful mango. And eating mango is always fun and distracting when I cut off the sides, gnaw the flesh off the seed, and then cut little rows into the side and pop them so they're like little bright orangey mango hedgehogs and I gnaw the little protuding cubes off the skin. **

**However, eventually I return back to the pineapple and I give into that pineapple-loving monster that lives in my stomach and just go ahead and dump the rest of that joy-filled container into my mouth, juice and all and swallow it down. Then I look sadly at the empty container and mourn the loss of such greatness. **

**Then Saturday comes around and another pineapple is brought home and the whole damn process starts up all over again...**

**So now I've shared with you the traumatic and slightly amusing story of my fruit woes, let us move on to some story writing related conversation. **

**It's amazing how lying facedown on the couch on your day off can be the source of such inspiration that it drives you to stay up until 4am watching Scrubs and finishing the next chapter. Not to mention the repercussions of eating all the fruit I've been eating lately. Some people read magazines, some people read novels, some people search through the drawers of the sink counter, some people play with legos...well sure I've done all of those things while on the throne, but nowadays I sit there thinking about what could possibly happen next to get me to a preset destination in a story about a sadomasochistic man relationship...and daydream about the pineapple sitting in my kitchen...**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Will, it's okay." Gwen whispered, touching my hand. I shivered and shied away. My throat was so dry and I didn't think my eyes could get any wider. I felt like I was under attack by a police raid and I knew that they knew I had committed a very serious crime.

Her gentle eyes became gentler. And her soft thumb stroked my knuckle. "C'mon. It's okay. Let's go to the library. We can talk."

I licked my lips and swallowed, clutching my textbook to my chest. She touched my shoulder and gently stroked it. Quietly, I allowed her to turn me away from my locker. She closed it for me and we walked on. She kept that comforting hand on my shoulder as we moved. The bell rang to signal the start of the fourth period a moment or two before we entered the library.

She pulled open the glass door for me and led me inside. I was still hugging my textbook to my body so I knew I looked defensive. I consciously adjusted my bag strap as Gwen and I moved around the book stacks to a table nearest the far corner of the library. Gwen set down her purse and her bag on the table and sat down. She looked up at me nervously and said, "It's okay, Will. Sit down. We can talk." Oddly enough, despite my shock and fear, her tone and her eyes were soothing and reassuring.

So finally I sat down across from her, setting my textbook on the table and my bag on the chair beside me. "How do you know?" I murmured quietly, looking down at the table and then up to her eyes.

She kept her soft brown eyes looking into mine, caring and mild. Willing me to be calm. Assuring me that I could trust her no matter what. And she began to speak quietly and clearly, "That day after you had detention with him…just little things sort of changed about you. Sure, he remained his normal reclusive self. But you gave off an entirely different aura. More confident. At first I thought you had made peace with Warren, or a deal or something when you were in detention. But like I said, I noticed little things. Little changes about you. The way you walked, the way you smiled. I thought I noticed a bruise on the inside of your wrist when we were studying one time…"

Consciously, I touched my right wrist, covering it.

"And a few times, I saw him bump into you in the hallway. It's like it's a territorial thing. I've seen him do it a couple times when you're talking to your Layla friend. And then just now when you were talking to me? The look on your face after he did…" She said, glancing down at the table.

I swallowed.

"Will. Seriously, it's okay. If you're still trying to keep it a secret, it's fine. I won't tell anyone." Gwen said, adding a small, reassuring smile with her cherry lips. She reached across the table and touched my hand.

I glanced down at her soft red fingernails and then said, "Thanks…"

"I don't really understand why though. What are you afraid of?" She asked, taking her hand away. Quietly I sighed, averting my gaze. Then Gwen sat back, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Will. I'm not going to force you. Let's just study."

She turned to her bag and flipped it open. She pulled out a powder pink binder and a red notebook. Then she opened her purse and went digging for her good pen again. I licked my lips nervously and looked up at her. Up until now, I hadn't really thought about what I was afraid of. There were so many things that made it difficult to explain, even to myself. I never delved too far into the explanation to myself, I just let my actions take over.

So I decided to try it right then.

One: Warren was a boy. I hadn't given much thought to what that made me. What that said about my sexuality. I remembered that blushing crush I'd had on Gwen. I'd had plenty of crushes on girls before. Sure, I liked girls. But then there was Warren. I couldn't, wouldn't, dare let my eyes stray to another guy or girl when he was in my head. Layla educated me plenty on the identifications of sexuality and how no matter who you loved, you were wonderful. But then again, some might not believe that I was so wonderful. My dad had freaked out over the result of my power placement to be a sidekick. Imagine how he would freak out if I told him that my lover wasn't a girl.

Two: We were practically born to be enemies. My father would most likely lay a couple of red, white and blue eggs. I could imagine "Like father like son" coming out of his mouth.

So what else?

Consciously, my hand moved to touch my covered shoulder where Warren had discovered those razor cuts. It felt like so long ago. And why hadn't I told anybody about that? Because it wasn't right to cut oneself for whatever reason. Getting off on pain wasn't considered normal, some might call it sick. That's what made me keep it a secret in the first place. My parents would have dropped me in therapy. The reason I'd pried razor blades out of a shaving razor taped down them down and hidden them inside of a box presumably only holding guitar picks and other guitar necessities. Before being with Warren, I'd felt shameful of it. But how could something so shameful feel so great, wonderful, unforgettable, and make me want it at all times of the day and night?

Then again, I didn't have to tell anyone about our sexual relationship right? That wasn't something that anyone typically shared with others anyways…actually nix that…it was _high school_. But I still didn't have to tell people about it. I was still really afraid of anyone finding out about it.

And of course, I was terrified of scaring Warren away. He seemed perfectly content with keeping it all just our business.

"I'm just afraid of scaring him off." I muttered.

Gwen paused in her digging and looked at me. She lifted her hands from her purse and settled them on the table, tilting her head a little and smiling apologetically. "Everyone's scared of losing their boyfriend."

_Boyfriend? _"B-boy…?"

Gwen smiled when I blushed. "Oh, haven't quite made it to labels have we?" I reached up and scratched at my scalp, brushing my fingers messily through my hair. I gave a small, nervous chuckle, "_No_. In fact, I think we deliberately _don't_ talk about it."

Gwen smiled again, brushing her fingertips gently through her neat bangs, "So this is an 'it's complicated' thing?" I blushed again, glancing down at the table again. "Uh…yeah. I guess…" "Well, that's just fine. Everyone goes through that stage in a relationship sooner or later." She said comfortingly. I glanced down at the table and then I heard her chuckle, "Besides, I doubt anything could scare Warren Peace, let alone you."

"Yeah, I 'spose." I smiled. That smile made me feel better. Her soft, gentle eyes smiled just as much as her lips did. And for a moment I let go all of the fear I'd been harboring. This bright, pink-wearing, technopathic creature absolved me of it, and somehow, I felt like everything was going to be alright. It was okay that she knew. Oh _god_, it felt so good that someone finally knew.

"So how about we go over the blueprints for the Trap Box?" She asked, tilting her head at me. She was still smiling with those cherry lips as she smoothly and nonchalantly changed the subject, as if the deepest, darkest secret of my existence hadn't just been uncovered.

"Yeah. That'd be good. I'd like to keep my hands attached to my wrists." I said, opening my textbook. I glanced up at her as she opened her neatly organized binder and flipped through the sleeved pages. _Yeah…it's gonna be okay._

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I became irritated at the sound of my own foot thumping against the seat of the picnic table. A night breeze swept my hair into my eyes and I brushed it back. I slipped my hand into my jacket pocket and touched the pack of cigarettes. Quickly I brought my hand back out again and scratched at my chin with the side of my thumb. "Christ…"

"Pardon me, Mister Peace." Came a deep, warped voice.

I jumped from the picnic table and spun around, searching the dark, deserted swing sets, tires, and slides. And then I saw a silver glow in the darkness. It looked like the veins of a computer chip. Heavy footsteps emerged from the dark. The stranger was dressed in a full-body black, silver and gold suit of various metals and flexible mesh. A long dark cape cascaded down his back and a horned golden helmet hid his face.

I clenched my jaw and my fists as flames danced around my fingers.

The guy held up a hand and shook his head, "Take it easy. I just want to talk." The suit seemed vaguely familiar to me. Like I'd seen it in a picture or something a long time ago.

As he approached, I let the fire travel up to my wrists, gently waving with a warning.

"Like father like son. A hothead." The guy laughed, and it sounded so computer generated and overlapped. "I'd like to discuss a business proposition."

"I don't deal in business with villains."

"Oh come now, you must have _some_ of Cerberus's redeeming qualities besides his physical features. You've got villainous blood in your veins and you know it. So come on, let's just have a civilized conversation between two,"

"I'm not my father. Whatever you're trying to get from me, you can just forget it."

This wasn't just a plain solicitation from the usual bad person that I'd experienced in my life. From playground bullies, to a couple of villain-wannabes trying to convince me to run with them before I got them to just back off and leave me the hell alone. Something told me this guy was the real deal because that was most definitely a spark of electricity around his clenched fist. I turned my back, ears listening for any oncoming attack while I strode over to my bike.

"I think you'll like what I have to say."

"Not interested." I grunted, mounting my bike.

"I'll give you a few hours to consider giving me a chance to say my piece. If you don't come back, I'll know your choice."

"Whatever." I said from inside my helmet as I brought my bike to life and gunned it away. I glanced in the review mirror to see if he was following me. But he was fading away into the dark distance. Inwardly I sighed. I hadn't seen that guy in any news or papers as of late, so he had to be some new guy. But something told me this one was very dangerous…and strangely familiar.

* * *

I adjusted the pool cue against the worn, green fabric, shifting my knuckle up by the slightest. Then I pocketed the 8 with ease. The guy I'd been playing heaved a sigh in defeat, dug into his wallet. He brushed his sandy brown hair back and made it seem like he was carefully counting. Apparently this guy had taken over _The Gray Cue_ for the past few nights, emptying pockets in pool and poker. So when I walked in, he regarded me with interest as he asked a few regulars who I was. Supposedly someone told him I was a damn good at pool so he'd taken it as a challenge and had challenged _me_ to a high stakes game.

The game had attracted a few onlookers, which of course had the hairs on the back of my neck raised. I only turned my back when I absolutely had to. I hated their presence. It annoyed and tensed me. Probably just that antisocial thing acting up.

A tall black guy laughed heartily and said, "Pay the winners please." Two guys groaned and shelled out some cash, having bet on my opponent.

"Knew I shouldn't have played high stakes…" he muttered. I recognized it as a goad to make me feel confident in my win, to make me not take a closer look. He slapped a small handful of bills onto the table.

I leaned my cue into the case and picked up the cash. Then I started counting the fifties and twenties in my gloved fingers.

"What, you don't trust me?" he asked defensively.

"Nope." I grunted. I looked dully up into his eyes, "Especially since you jipped me a hundred bucks."

There were some 'oohs' as they looked to the guy. His neck went a little red under his blue long-sleeve. And he opened his mouth to say something. But he was interrupted. "You lost fair and square, Elijah." The tall black guy said warningly. "It was your idea to play for seven-fifty. Just 'cause you gotcher ass whooped don't mean you can cheat the guy."

"Shut the hell up, Benny." hissed the confidence-deflated _Elijah_ as he dug into his wallet and dished out two fifties and tossed them callously on the table. He turned away and went over to the bar with his half-empty beer.

I pocketed the fifties and went outside for some air. The place had been so smoky and the unopened pack of cigarettes in my jacket pocket was gnawing at me for attention. I had to clear my head no matter how much I wanted to just light one up. Plus I was hoping that Elijah wanted his money back.

As I stepped outside, I leaned on a post, looking at the vehicles and cars. It had rained while the game had been going and the parking lot was misted with a few puddles. There was one truck I noticed when I'd first pulled up on my bike. It was big and black with blue flames, with an extended cab, extended shocks and four tires on the rear axle alone. It had to be almost a foot and a half off the ground. I snorted quietly and walked off the porch to get a closer look.

I tucked my hands into my pockets in the dimness of late night and walked up beside the monster. I looked down at the large tires and pretended I didn't hear the front door to the _Cue_ open.

"The fuck you doin' with my truck?" barked a familiar sore loser.

I glanced up at Elijah. His pretty sandy, brown hair was mussed, as if he'd been running his fingers through it in contemplation and frustration. "Nothing. Just looking." I answered.

He came down the stairs and approached me. I looked at the truck again. I made a point of taking my time looking over it. I was letting the aggravation build in him. And hell it was building. Not even the sound of the _Cue's_ front door opening deterred him. I wanted him so badly to explode. So I had to say the right thing.

I shook my head somberly at the truck and looked at him, "Sorry about your penis, man."

That did it. "Fucking," He growled through his teeth, and then he threw back a fist. I stepped out of the way, letting his swing catch nothing but air. He bumped into his truck and pushed himself off of it at me. I caught his arm and flipped him over my shoulder. He landed heavily on his back and grunted in lost air and pain. "You son of a,"

He rolled over and pushed himself to his feet.

"C'mon, man, I'm not even winded here. Hit me." I egged him on. I was so frustrated. The seven-fifty hardly meant a thing to me. I thought it would have helped my mind wander away from the face it frequented. But it didn't. So I told myself this was going to help.

I blocked a hook and retaliated with a blow to his unprotected stomach. He gurgled in pain and coughed, falling to his knees. I seized his collar and yanked him back up to his feet. But to my surprise he threw up his hands, "Okay! Okay! Don't hurt me! Please!"

I so badly wanted to punch that fearful face bloody. "Please! Don't! I give up!"

_This is pathetic. _So I dropped him to the ground where he still covered his face. And I walked over to my bike. The audience from the game was outside now, looking on. Benny laughed with teeth stark white against his dark skin. "'Sorry about your penis', I'll have to remember that one." The others chuckled as they looked on. I mounted my bike and slipped on my helmet. I backed my bike up, and then gunned it, kicking up dirt all over Elijah.

Now what the hell was I supposed to do? I hadn't spent a single ounce of this frustration. And here I was, unwittingly, or wittingly turning the handlebars down a street that would lead to another street that would lead to another street and another and another until I stashed my bike in White Hills.

I stopped at a stop light despite the emptiness of the dark, dimly lit streets. When it turned green I took a right down another deserted, damp street.

Of course after stashing my bike, I'd go up to his goddamned bedroom, most likely kiss him, fuck him and then just lay with him, enjoy the feel of his naked skin just lying against mine…

Pain exploded throughout my body as my motorcycle and I were violently thrown across the street with the sound of tires screeching. I rolled across the dark, damp asphalt and came to an eventual stop facedown. Shock had stopped my breathing for a few moments. But air came back to my lungs in a raspy gasp, and hell that hurt as my lungs inflated. Busted ribs definitely.

I pressed my palm to my ribs and groaned. The shock started to wear off and the pain sorted itself out into specific places. Ribs. Left knee. Left bicep. Right hand and wrist. Neck. Head. All hurt like hell. Something wet slipped into my right eye and it burned. I lifted a hand to touch my face. The face plate of my helmet was cracked and a piece of it was jabbing into my right eyebrow. I undid the strap and dragged my helmet from my head. It wobbled on the asphalt as I wiped at my eye.

I heard a door slam. I turned my head, looking through my hair. A black van was parked in the middle of the street with its headlights on. Someone was coming toward me with heavy, metallic footsteps.

"Good evening, Mister Peace." Sounded a deep, warped voice.

_Shit…_

Lighter footsteps started bounding around the heavy footsteps, and hysterical giggling followed the bouncing steps wherever they moved.

I wiped the blood from my eye and looked up through my hair.

Someone stood over me, a black, silver and gold suit of various metals and flexible mesh, a cape and a horned helm that hid his face. _Not this guy again…_ I got a hand under me to push myself up out of this vulnerable position but I collapsed again, groaning in pain.

"Oh, no need to feel threatened now that I have your _undivided_ attention. I hope you didn't think I was just going to let it go if you didn't go back to the park." He said, his voice unrecognizable and warbled. I looked into the black strip of shade that concealed his eyes and growled sarcastically, "If you really wanted to talk to me this badly, you could've just asked nicely."

The guy laughed. It was deep and the chortles sounded like they were overlapped. "Tried that. I know your behavior Warren Peace. You took off once tonight, I'm quite sure you'd do it again since apparently you _don't deal with villains_. I got impatient. And of course doing it this way, you know how serious I am."

I winced when I inhaled, pressing my hand to my ribs, "Who the fuck _are_ you?"

"Ah!" he said, raising his gloved hands into the air. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the greatest super villain to ever have lived. I am _Royal Pain_."

I brushed fresh blood from my eye, "What?"

I knew that name. My father had mentioned meeting the guy once or twice…I remember him showing me old newspaper clippings a long time ago in the secrecy of night. A heated rivalry about who got to their archenemy first. He was supposed to be dead by the hands of the Commander…_years_ ago.

"Royal Pain? Someone must've dragged you outta the mothballs, huh?" I grunted.

Royal Pain's fist clenched and I saw a small spark of electricity. "I went to Sky High with your father. I'm not _that_ old."

"Much younger than you think! _HA_! HAHA!" I turned my head and finally found the bouncy feet. "Oh yeah, Stitches the _Keebler Elf_ sidekick." I grunted, narrowing my eyes at the goblin-like little guy. "My father said you were a giggly pain in the ass."

"Too right he was. Now, back to business." Royal Pain crouched down beside me. "I'd like to talk to you about a wonderful opportunity. A job. A chance at something you want."

I'd read, seen or heard about all of the glorified offers of a super villain. My own goddamned father was one…_is_ one. I tried to block the pain as I attempted to shift away and put some more feet between me and the guy. And I said as dully as I could manage, "And what, by god, could that be?"

"Revenge."

And a chord was struck. I stopped trying to move away, and I think I actually listened more intently aside from the painful pounding of blood in my ears.

Royal Pain laughed. "I knew that'd interest you." Then he stood up and started to pace slowly back and forth. "You see, Mister Peace, the Commander has something of mine. Something _very_ valuable and dear to me. My greatest creation. My greatest weapon. And he's displaying it like a trophy in his 'Secret Sanctum'." He air quoted. "I want it. I need it. And I have attempted to get it. But I cannot infiltrate the Sanctum. That is precisely why I am now talking to _you_. Because _you_ can. Because _you_…are already on the inside."

I clenched my teeth and clenched my fist which burst into flame and pain.

Royal Pain held up his hand, "Now, now. No need to get all feisty. I won't tell anyone about the cute little relationship you have going with the Commander's ward."

Despite the pain, I made a leap at him. And I was met with a punch laced with an insane amount of electricity that sent me flying into a lamppost. I grunted when I hit the ground, and groaned at the shivering pain coursing through me from the electric shock that started from my cut lip.

"Mister Peace, I was being entirely sincere. I could care less who you fuck. I just need _you_." Royal Pain said, brushing blood off of his glove.

I spat blood at his boots and growled, "You suck _piss_ at negotiating." I got an elbow under me and got myself to sit up against the pole, trying to hide the hiss of pain.

Royal Pain sighed, "Hitting you with a van at seventy miles an hour? A little unorthodox, sure. But how about you listen to me? There is potential for everything you could ever want if you do this. If you accept what I know you feel inside of you in the darkest of nights when you remember who you father is…and how much you are exactly like him, you could be stronger and more powerful than you could ever imagine."

"And what exactly made you think that I was born yesterday?" I growled.

Royal Pain chuckled, "Stubborn." He stepped toward me again. I got my feet under me, and braced myself against the lamppost as pain spiked in my knee when I stood.

"What was that feeling that knotted your stomach for all of those years whenever you saw that big, 'patriotic' buffoon invade your television or the morning paper that got tossed on your lawn?" Royal Pain asked.

I clenched my teeth. Fire bloomed from my fingertips and slowly traveled with ease up my shoulders.

"It was _hate_." Royal Pain said, pointing at me with a gloved finger.

"_Hate_!" echoed the pointy shoed little idiot with hyena laugh.

The core of the inferno in my heart pulsed angrily against my broken ribs. The intense heat soothed the ache and traveled down to my knee, down my left arm and through my right wrist.

"I know hate, Warren. It feels like Hell. And yet, you're at your strongest when you're consumed by it. And when you finally let out what you cage inside, the power and the strength and the _clarity_ are unimaginable. And Hell means nothing anymore once you've sent all your enemies into it." Royal Pain said. "And I have lifetimes of experience. I could give this to you, I could teach you. If you just let go of those ridiculous things one might call hero morals and get into the Commander's,"

I launched a blazing punch into the middle of the face of that helm. Sparks flew and Royal Pain hit the ground hard. Stitches shrieked. I looked at the melted dent in the face plate and shook the blood from my knuckles. "Like I said, you suck piss at negotiating. All your words are cliché and overused."

I limped over to my Harley and got it up on its wheels. I looked at the damage to the left side from the impact and the paint damage on the right side from skidding across the asphalt. Amazingly…his helmet was still secured to the back of my seat.

After looking quietly at it for a moment, I mounted my bike gingerly and tried to get it to start.

Royal Pain struggled to his feet with help from his little goblin. "Peace! Don't you dare walk away from me!" I looked over my shoulder as my bike roared to life and I revved the motor. "Like you said, I have the Cerberus's blood in me. And if you truly think I'm anything like my father, you'll believe me when I say that if you come near me again, I will succeed where the Commander obviously didn't…I _will_ kill you."

I twisted the throttle in full and lifted my boot from the asphalt as fire leapt from my body and consumed my Harley, lifting me onto the hind wheel before flaming up into the air, spraying melted debris all over my harassers. The inferno soothed my wounds, temporarily sure, but soothed nevertheless. I ground my teeth, trying to shake the provoking things the villain had said to me. I wondered briefly if he had come to me long before this…thing with Stronghold had started…if I would have acted the same way.

I leaned forward slightly, giving the blaze more power to let me cut through the sky faster. I feared the answer. I feared it because I didn't know it, and I feared it because I thought I knew it.

In truth, I feared who I had been…what I had become…and who I could be…


	33. Tears

**Well, it's been a hard time for my family for the past few weeks. My granpy's been in the hospital and early in the morning on October 10th, he moved on. And being the family we are, we're going to have a big party after the funeral.**

**It's how it's always been with us. "Amanda lost her front teeth! Tap a keg!" "Someone's anniversary! Tap a keg!" "Somebody had a baby! Tap a keg!" "Someone's birthday! Tap a keg!" "Someone died? Oh shit...c'mon, let's tap a keg for'em!"**

**I learned how to tap a keg when I was three years old. "Hey, T, go get Aunt Billie Jo a beer." "Otay!" and I'd go get it. 'You know you're a redneck when' anybody? And yes, I do actually have an Aunt Billie Jo...**

**So don't worry about me guys, I may be sad, but you shouldn't mourn death. Celebrate their life. Send them off to paradise with a smile. I know he'll be free. My grandma is waiting for him, most likely with that venison sandwich he wanted. They're gonna climb into his truck with a rifle in the back seat, go out cruising for deer together again with a good old bottle of mount'in dew...not the soda XDDD**

** Seriously, you don't know a hunter unless you've ridden in the truck with my grandpy when he spots a fucking buck bounding across the road, yanked the wheel around, stomped the brakes, whipped the rifle outta the backseat, cocked it and dropped that fucking buck before the truck even came to a complete stop...hunting season or not...**

**Now away from my personal life, in this here little chappy-chap, many of you will be getting the answer to your question of "What will Warren do?!" And let me tell you...drama..._bomb_...**

**I would tell you to "Enjoy.", but I've come to realize that you aren't customers in the restaurant where I work and I haven't just served you a friggin' beautiful salad that I put together in the back just for you. So here's the fruit of my labor born from a couple freezing cold hours at my laptop instead of cocooned in the warmth of my wondrous bed. **

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

First I'd walked about ten minutes to the city bus stop which was a little crowded with some Saturday afternoon mall-goers. Then I'd taken two buses on the inside of twenty-five minutes. And now I was walking another ten minutes away from a bus stop. It felt a little unnatural traveling to his house like that.

I felt a little foolish. I didn't even know if he'd be home. He could be working. But then again, he hadn't shown up for school for the past two days so he might not've gone to work either. And I was, even though I probably wasn't entitled to, worried…

A car went by, disturbing the quiet as I navigated my way on foot. At this point I couldn't remember specific streets, and I was going by my way of what things looked like. After a few minutes I found his familiar street. It only had a couple houses, one of them being his, a house that had trees in the front yard cutting off visibility and another one of a light navy blue color and dark blue shutters.

I glanced up at a street sign and saw 'Cinder Branch Lane'. I hadn't really seen much of the Eastern Suburbs except from the backseat on a motorcycle. It was a nice place. All the houses had a different style to them, humble, simple, and a bit more…creative and colorful in some places. White Hills in the Northern Suburbs? A bunch of regal looking houses that usually were sold by Steve and Josie Stronghold. Not exactly a bunch of rich people, but certainly not doing too bad. Most houses were white or a shade of white at least.

I walked down Cinder Branch Lane and stopped in front of his house. Dark red. Front door invisible to the street and on the left side of the house. Grand windows in the front, currently closed off by the big gray curtains. Garage at the end of the driveway. An open garage. And there he was sitting on a stool in there next to his bike. He was fiddling with something while sitting on a stool.

_Okay, so he seems alright._

With a small breath of relief, I walked up the driveway. And as I got closer, that relief was short lived.

His Harley was propped sadly between some crates and a jack to keep it from toppling over seeing as the kickstand was no longer there. The left side was stripped almost bare and the right side looked like it had been attack by a monstrous piece of gravelly sandpaper.

And then there was Warren. His left leg was extended and straight. Just visible from under his t-shirt sleeve, his left bicep was severely bruised. A white bandage stuck out from beneath an ace bandage that was around his knuckles and wrist. He glanced my way from where he was sitting as he was running a greasy rag along the curves of a metal spiral. I winced. There was a gash above his right eye, a red cut of dried blood on his lip, and a dark bruise spreading from the cut to his chin and jaw.

His dark eyes moved easily from mine, back to what he was doing.

I lengthened my strides and entered his garage. "My god…Warren…what happened?" I asked shakily, a knot twisting my stomach.

Warren didn't look up. He ignored my question and instead asked me one. "What're you doing here, Stronghold?" His voice was low and indifferent. Like it had been in the Detention Room months ago when he'd told me that he'd roast me alive.

"I-I was…you haven't been at school for the past two days…I was worried about you." I managed to say, looking at damage to his motorcycle. My eyes strayed to his outstretched leg, and judging from a few protruding outlines, he was wearing a knee brace under his jeans. I looked to his bandaged hand and then to his face. I stepped closer to him, "Are…are you okay?"

He set the rag down on the floor and started to fix the spiral to a rod. "Got t-boned."

"Oh my god…" I almost asked if he was okay again. But I realized it probably wasn't a question that he was going to answer. "I…I,"

Then he picked up a tool I wasn't familiar with and started to affix the spiraled rod to his bike. He muttered, "Goddamned shocks…"

"Warren," I murmured. I was disturbed by his unwillingness to look at me.

He leaned back on his stool, and then eased himself to his feet. He limped roughly over to his table where he had assortment of parts, tools and small boxes. "Warren, please," He still didn't respond.

"Talk to me. Just look at me." I moved to his side and reached to touch him.

He inhaled sharply, flinching away from my hand when it pressed against his ribs. "Sorry!" I breathed, pulling my hand back. His ribs were taped. He had _broken_ ribs.

"Did they find the person who hit you?" I asked worriedly.

Warren turned the other way and went around me. He limped past me and sunk back down in his stool, opening the box he'd selected. "No. I didn't call the cops or an ambulance or anything." He spoke as if it annoyed him. And I shrunk back a little, leaning against the table.

"W-why?"

"_Stronghold_." He said firmly, turning his head and glaring at me. "I took this crap from my own mother, who then decided that it was in my _best interests_ to whisk me off to the goddamned Institution at two in the morning for a couple of busted ribs, bruises and a few cuts. I just wanna work on my fucking bike in peace."

I closed my slightly parted lips. I imagined that Warren wasn't one for hospitals. He hated people. And something told me that he hated feeling vulnerable. I was surprised he was even wearing the knee brace or the bandages on his hand. The healers in the Institution might've quickened his healing process, but it didn't seem like he'd let them touch him any more than he thought was necessary. This state he was in was probably why he wouldn't look at me, or hardly speak to me.

I knew that as a super being, he'd probably be good as new in a matter of three or four days. But his reactions still unnerved me.

"I'm sorry." I murmured.

He stopped in his tinkering and sighed, lifting his chin slightly. Then he looked down to the floor, unmoving and lost in thought.

"You should leave." Warren said quietly.

What he said sunk in. The way he worded it. How he said it. The things he didn't say. And he went right back to working on his bike. Just like that. Dismissing me.

If he hadn't been hurt, I might've just left. And I almost did. I somberly took two steps toward the mouth of the garage. But then I stopped and looked at him. He was screwing something tighter in the enigma of his motorcycle's insides, ignoring me, or believing that I'd already gone. Inwardly, I shook my head. I swallowed down any timid feelings and moved to his side.

Quietly, I knelt down, looking up at him. He ignored me until I put a hand on his good knee. He paused in his work and looked down at my hand. Then he looked into my eyes. Those dark chocolate orbs searched mine as I softly gazed back. Something about his dark eyes seemed…broken.

He shook his head and murmured, "What do you want?"

"…Something's wrong." I said.

He shook his head once again, shifting his knee out from under my hand and starting his work again. "Sure, usually when we meet up, I end up fucking your brains out,"

I blushed.

"But I'm not exactly in neither the best condition nor the mood to be doing that."

I licked my lips, dried by his callousness. "I wasn't asking you to. I just want to know what's wrong. Something's bothering you."

He threw down a wrench and it clattered loudly against the floor. "I've got busted ribs, I'm all gashed up, and I'm internally bleeding in my face! Take your pick of what's bothering me!"

"Warren,"

"Fuck!" He yelled, kicking over his stool. He turned away from me and brushed his hair back with both hands.

I slowly rose to my feet, listening to his stressed breath. He untangled his fingers from his hair, letting it fall back into place. He turned again, leaning harshly against the tool table. And then he roughly ran his hands down his face. A shiver went down my spine. I was scared. And yet I took that step forward when he rested his palms on the edge of the table, looking away from me.

And I gently touched his hand. I felt the warm tendons stiffen, but he didn't pull away. His eyes eventually sunk closed and his fingers moved in between mine. I felt a lump rise in my throat, and for a moment I was shocked. I'd never held his hand before…

My thumb stroked his knuckle and I kept silent.

I moved a little closer, looking up at him. He still didn't open his eyes. His jaw muscle twitched in pain and I could almost feel the tearing winds in the storm that was plaguing his thoughts. Something was tormenting him. And I didn't think I could possibly want anything more than to alleviate whatever pain he was in, whatever was bothering him, whatever was hurting him.

He turned his head, and pressed his forehead down against mine with a quiet sigh from his nostrils. After a moment, his other hand moved to the back of my neck and he held me there. I let my eyes sink closed, feeling the warmth of his closeness. My other hand moved up and gently touched his forearm. His skin was warm and pulsing with heated blood. I'd never felt such a calmness between us. I breathed in deeply through my nose, drawing in his scent. Leather. Spicy fire. And his hair was so close to my face, I could smell comforting wood smoke in the Adirondacks.

I heard him suck in a breath through his teeth and then he was pushing me away. "God, I can't…just…just go. Leave."

I looked up at him. That moment of calmness had faded entirely away and I could see fire bubbling up his blood. "Warren, I,"

"For fuck's sake, just get _out_." Warren growled.

"Warren, please,"

"Didn't you hear me?!" He shouted as he grabbed my collar, and pushed off the edge of the table. He shoved me out of his garage, "Get the hell out! Leave me the fuck alone! And don't fucking come back!"

He reached up and grabbed the handle on the garage door.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked unsteadily.

He glared at me for a moment and said, "Just get out of my life…" shaking his head and yanking the door down to close. It shut with a loud bang and he was gone. And I just stood there, mortified.

I had no clue what had just happened. I was so confused. And I felt…empty.

A breeze combed through my hair, and it somehow got me to turn toward the street. And I slowly started walking. I felt like I couldn't control anything. My body was walking on its own. An empty, lost expression was stuck on my face. And as I walked off of Cinder Branch Lane, something wet ran down my face, shocking me.

I moved my hand quickly to touch my face. My vision blurred slightly as I looked down to my hand and I realized that I was crying as a tear plummeted to the sidewalk. Tears just rolled down my face at their own accord. My hands shook and I couldn't stop them as I walked. Nobody on the two buses that I rode back on the inside of twenty-five minutes said anything to me as they glanced at the tears that kept trickling down my cheeks and how I made no move to wipe them away. In fact, I think it made them uncomfortable.

I passed a few people on the ten minute walk back from the city bus stop and they didn't say anything to me either. But faintly I heard them murmur to one another, curious and slightly concerned, as I kept walking. The mail man was walking back up from Layla's front door when I passed. He was too busy digging through his little carrier to notice the water in my eyes even as he quickly threw me a "Good afternoon". For a moment, I acknowledged that he was late today, but it faded away and my mind went blank again.

I moved up the porch steps and let myself inside my house. I closed the door gently behind me. I didn't even see the stairs as I walked up them, solemnly holding the railing with one hand. I closed the door to my bedroom behind me as I had done with the front door. And I sat down on the edge of my bed.

Slowly I shifted to the middle and sunk down. And it started to hurt. It _hurt_. Dear god, it hurt so badly. I curled up, turning my face into a pillow, trying to stifle my sobs so I couldn't hear them. I gripped the pillowcase in one hand and wrapped the other around myself, trying to keep myself together. To keep myself from falling into a hundred million pieces.

I'd never felt this kind of pain before. And I didn't relish it at all. It was horrible, and unwelcome. I sunk my teeth into my lip and shivered with another muffled sob.

What could I have done?

What could have happened that made this happen?

What was I going to do?

Why had I pushed him? Or if I hadn't, would that have just delayed the inevitable?

This couldn't be happening.

God, I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I felt as if I were going to be sick. And there was no such relief for it.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and the hurt filled me to the point of overflowing in the form of further tears that soaked my pillow and made my eyes terribly sore.

"_Just get out of my life…"_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I sat back on the stool and brushed my hair back. I rubbed at my eyes with my knuckles. Then I looked at the dark windows, showing me only the reflection of the inside of the garage because of the light. A seething growl rumbled from between my lips when I caught my own gaze, and I looked away.

Soreness made me adjust my leg and reach tenderly to my ribs. At least I told myself that it was only my busted ribs that were sore.

_Fuck…_

The fire in my heart gave a painful throb, making my blood feel thick and ashen. I stared down at my flame tattoos on my forearms. I studied the lithe, powerful shades of orange, red, yellow and white. I imagined that the fire currently pulsing in my blood was a shade of deep blue…salted, regretful and seething. With a fingertip, I traced the curves of the flames, trying not to image how I thought he had once done the same thing while I was stretched out on the sofa inside, a little more than half asleep.

Lights danced across the back wall of the garage. I let out an exasperated sigh and leaned forward slightly on the stoop, attempting to delve back into the repairs of my bike. Silently, I will her not to enter the garage. She must have known just how much I didn't want to deal with her because a moment or two after I heard her car door shut, the side door to the garage opened.

I did my absolute best to ignore her tawny gaze as her heels clicked quietly on the concrete floor. I tried to ignore the way she studied the air around me, not saying a word. Reading me.

_Go away…_

"How are you feeling?"

I paused and looked up at her with a scowl. She was standing there in a dark gray suit with her hair twisted into a long braid. Her tawny eyes were focused intently on me. She sighed at my expression, "Your physical condition, Warren."

I gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Oh, I could just leap to my feet, howl and circle dance around the fire."

She leaned against the tool table and crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows. "To what do I owe this pleasant attitude? Normally I can barely get a knowing glance from you. You're abnormally talkative this evening." I looked to the floor and then slowly back up at her. The slight incline of her head and her giveback of my nastiness faded away. She straightened her neck, uncrossed her arms and concern flashed in her owlish eyes. "Warren? What's wrong?"

I shook my head and gave a breathy laugh. "Oh, I see that you managed to get over the issue of your immense disappointment in me."

"Seriously, Warren, what's wrong?" She questioned, becoming worried and more serious.

I shrugged, smirking the most lifeless smirk I'd ever managed. "Well, gee, let's see…I proved what you wanted me to prove. It's all done. I've abandoned everything about the Stronghold name and I don't intend on involving myself with the little shit again." I waved the wrench in my hand, "And in response I can't stop hating myself for what I'd planned to do. I can't stop hating myself for not being able to do it. I can't stop hating myself for that look he gave me when I tore his fucking little, innocent heart in two. And I can't stop hating myself for letting him walk away…"

She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "I did what you wanted me to do the only way I possibly could. I ended it. I think it might've just been one of the most painful things I've ever done. And for fuck's sake, I hate everything I'm feeling right now just as much as it's confusing you. 'Since when does my son have feelings even though I've been listening to them more than his own words his entire life?'" Fucking hell, I hated that ever so slight break in my voice.

"Warren Peace." She said firmly, but quietly. She came away from the table, toward me. I closed my eyes as she cupped my face in her hands. Involuntarily, I sunk my teeth into my lower lip. A shiver ran down my spine, and for fuck's sake water welled up beneath one of my eyelids.

Quickly, I turned my head, nudging her hands away from me with a shaking sweep of my wrist. I forced myself to my feet and limped out of the garage, biting down with every painful step. Grudgingly, I wiped away that damp trail trickling down my face and shoved open the door into the house. With a hand braced on the wall and the other at my thigh, I made my way up the stairs as quickly as I possibly could. Once I got in my room, I closed the door behind me and sunk down on my bed in relief.

I reached for the pain meds and popped the top off. With last night's water bottle I swallowed down a dose and toed off my boots. Carefully I laid back onto the sheets, undid my jeans, lifted my hips and slid them down. I removed my right leg from its pant leg easily and was a little more cautious when it came to my left leg. The black knee brace kept it still and mostly straight, but it still fucking hurt.

I laid back into the sheets again and shifted my legs slowly onto the bed, moving my head onto my pillows. With a relieved groan, I banished away my thoughts, or attempted to at least. He kept slipping into my mind.

His thick, brown hair.

His gentle chin.

His soft, thin lips.

His ocean blue eyes.

The hurt I'd seen in them…

I growled to myself, angered by my wandering thoughts. I moved to roll over onto my side but stopped when pain stabbed at my ribs. With a hiss, I settled onto my back again. I closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing but the darkness I saw behind my eyelids. I failed terribly …at least until the meds finally kicked in, numbed me of my pain and dragged me down into the stark blackness of sleep. And I wasn't exactly going to go kicking and screaming…


	34. A Boy, A Man

**It smells like turkey in this joint...that's because it's Thanksgiving in America! Whee! **

**Wow my darlings, so much to tell you. So much to say. **

**Well, I've been accused of being a hypocrite by posting some nonsense comment about pedophiliac writing while I write about underaged sex while I was completely innocent and did no such thing...haha, which I found very amusing, and then was apologized to very quickly once it was realized that the accuser was mistaken. What I found interesting is that my accuser continued reading even after adopting the thought of my hypocricy. And that drew me to this person who leaves long comments about their thoughts and notes on the chapter. **

**So thus, I've finally found a reader that critiques my work in such a way that it aggravates me and makes me feel triumphant at the same time. It's something that I look forward to. Like my adored Jazzy was for when I was writing Sweat It Out and Clandestine. She would take the oppurtunity to point out anything that didn't make sense to her (even though it made perfect sense to at least me) and every little embarassing spelling mistake. But this new Oxygen reader has earned my love and respect. They remind me of my English teacher from my Senior year in high school (that reminds me, no I'm no longer a high schooler, I graduated June 2012 with a 3.6 out of 4 grade average, gloat gloat gloat). I loved this teacher. She drove me nuts, criticized and questioned everything I wrote, but yet praised it and encouraged me. **

**So, welcome to the game asm613. My followers will adorn you in the proper attire and direct you to your barracks. Hehe...**

**Okay, what else...Oh yes! Recently, I burned my arm on a scorching hot pan after taking it out of the oven, and yelled, "OW! CURSE YOU FRENCH FRIES!" I watched the deep red mark develop during dinner and kept slathering saliva on it as if I were a puma and drooling on my wounds would help the healing process...XDD and despite being a bit of a sadomascochist myself, I thought, "Will, I don't judge, but you are one crazed up fruitloop..." But I suppose the intensity of a pyro's fire would be pleasurable to a horny masochist with super strength, endurance and a certain amount of indestructability. **

**Uhm, I got a new job. And it has turned me into a Daywalker. It was a hell of an adjustment, going from going to sleep at 5am to waking up at 5am...I put in my two weeks at the restaurant and I've become a Scale Overlord with hourly payment of about double what I used to make at my old job. So I've been exhausted...oh and yay me, I started exercising again because I gained like ten pounds XDDD FATTYPANTS!**

**So before I let you get on with the stuff you came here for, I've been thinking about taking questions. PM me any random questions you have, about me, about the world, about jalapenos, about narwhals, about the demon dust bunny that lives somewhere in my bedroom, anything. Just as long as they aren't questions that ask for hints as to what the future holds for Oxygen, they're allowed. We'll see how it goes. If I get a good amount, I'll choose...seven...and answer them in the author's note of the next update, which won't take a goddamned month -_- **

**If I get a crazy amount of questions, maybe I'll have to make a video or something on youtube...whatever. This is just a test run. Choose your question wisely...for I am the Awesome Oracle, the Beastly Pineapple Lover, the Queen of the Sickos...**

******Anyways, yaaayyy, porn and filler! And judge me not when it comes to Will. For a confused, wounded heart is full of trepidation and chaos. **

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I leaned into the back of the chair. His hands settled on my shoulders as he straddled my lap. His palms moved up the heated veins in my neck and slid into my hair. I felt his breath on my lips as he leaned down to me. I growled when he fisted my hair and kissed me. His mouth was warm and minted, almost like he chewed fresh mint leaves every day. His tongue twisted with mine as I wrestled it back into his mouth.

I relished the shudder that escaped him when my hands slithered up his back. I brushed my fingertips back down his spine, and slid gentle, teasing fire across his skin as I did.

His body tensed, and Stronghold drew in a gasp, pressing his face into the crook of my neck with a whimper. I palmed quiet, searing flames against his sides, eliciting a pained yelp and hiss from him. Goddamnit, he rocked in my lap, grinding up against my throbbing cock.

I swallowed at the rawness of the friction as he rubbed himself against me. He cried out when my fiery hands shifted and clenched his hips in a bruising grip. He twisted about in my lap, pulling away and pressing back into the flames at the same time. Letting the fire fade away, I seized the back of his neck and roughly kissed him, dragging my teeth across his lower lip.

His hands roamed across my bare chest, as if he was blind and braille was etched in my flesh. His scream was muffled by my lips when I dragged fire up and down his back, and across his stomach. I listened to him groan in his throat and felt him shudder against me as I roughly kissed his reddened lips. I slipped a hand down between us and wrapped my fingers around his quivering erection. He jumped and let out a moan against my mouth.

I trailed fire up to his shoulder, down his back and to his ass. He flinched, grinding out a whine of pain. I let the flame die off from my hands and pressed at his entrance. With a shuddering groan, he started to rock in my lap again, back and forth. Forward into my pumping hand and back onto my pressing fingers. He moaned quietly in my ear, kissing my temple.

I licked my lips and swallowed when his tongue lapped at the heated vein in my neck. "Stronghold…"

I pulled my fingers from his insides, eliciting a groan from him. "Oh god, _please_,_ Warren_." He breathed, quiet and slightly a whimper. "_Please_!" I slicked myself with spit as he cupped my face and desperately pressed his lips to mine. I allowed his tongue's onslaught against mine, letting it wrestle its way into my mouth, strong and hungry. I closed my lips around it and sucked hard. There was that warm, minted taste again.

He gasped against my lips and then moaned when I seized his hips. Fire lit up my hands and he threw his head back, yelling out. I lifted him, and guided myself to his entrance. He shivered and I grunted, "Fuck…"

His hands clasped my shoulders as I slowly eased him down. The strength of his hands kneaded my muscles, loosening and tightening them in his almost painful grip at the same time. His spine curved as he leaned into me, drawing in a breath against my ear. The warmth of his tightness was familiar and yet new and refreshing. And just a few brief quaking, and tensed moments later, I was buried to the hilt and trembling despite myself. Stronghold sat completely in my lap, breathing sharply against my neck, and shuddering hard. His super strength-hardened muscles tensed and solid, yet soft and quivering. He was lost somewhere between pain and pleasure.

I took his hips firmly in my hands and lifted him slowly. I felt Stronghold's thighs tense as I eased him back down. He pressed his forehead to mine, his breath panting heavily against my face. I lifted him again and thrust up when I brought him back down. He grunted and cried out when I did, his strong hands fiercely gripping my shoulders. And then, fuck, he rotated his hips. The muscles inside of him clamped on me, squeezing me and _grinding_…

I clenched my teeth, biting down on the yell, turning it into a long, rumbling growl. My muscles convulsed, and my blood boiled under the skin. Mercilessly, I tugged on my erection and I felt that inferno inside of me finally release itself. My stomach was splashed lightly as I got myself to come and I felt fire reach up my throat. Heat gently escaped my lips and faded away as a shudder ran up through my body.

It seemed like forever, but the cords in my neck relaxed against my pillow. My shoulders lost their tenseness and I laid my arched back down against my mattress. I let out a long, spent sigh in the silence and solitude of my dark, empty bedroom. I pushed myself up from the bed and swung my feet to the floor. I brushed back my hair and stood. My left leg held fine and there was very little ache. Quietly, I went into my bathroom.

I ignored the mirror and turned on the shower. Once inside, the water fell soothingly down on the top of my head. I turned the red marked faucet all the way. Steam rose to the ceiling, dancing around the light. The water was scalding, hot enough to cook a lobster. And it felt so good. My muscles calmed significantly as I turned around, letting the water touch every bit of me. I washed my hair and scrubbed down my body. And then I watched the suds slip down the drain at my feet. It was almost hypnotic as they spun in circles, large around the outside and then thinner and thinner as it swirled into a small whirlpool.

I brushed my soaked hair back from my face and abruptly turned off the shower. Immediately I missed the comforting, constant stream of white hot water. But I made myself step from the shower. The bathroom was clouded with a considerable amount of steam. The mirror was hopelessly fogged and sweating. I ruffled my hair with a towel to speed up the drying process and wiped off a part of the mirror with the corner of my towel. I skipped shaving for the fifth day in a row and left the razor on the counter untouched. Leaning close to the sweaty reflective glass, I examined the scar above my eye. It stood out less, but still had a light pink sheen to it when it caught the light right.

I went back into my bedroom. The water loitering on my skin quickly evaporated with the heat from my body.

I pulled open a drawer on my dresser and yanked out a pair of jeans. Wordlessly, I stepped into them one leg at a time, buttoning them and zipping them up at my hips. I pulled on a shirt at random, then socks and left my bedroom. After descending the stairs in the dark, I slipped into my boots at the door. As I was shoving an arm through a sleeve on my leather jacket, I heard a quiet voice from the kitchen.

"Warren."

I glanced over my shoulder and sighed. I slipped my other arm through the other sleeve and made my way to the kitchen. Once in the doorway, I came up against the wary stare of my mom's observing eyes. She lifted her cup between her hands and sipped her tea. Her dark hair hung loosely down her back and around her shoulders. I glanced away from her eyes and focused on the wolf and moon on her oversized t-shirt.

"Warren,"

I lifted my gaze and studied the yellowness of her irises.

"How's your limp?"

"Gone."

"Talking to me again?" she inquired.

"Obviously." I murmured.

"It's early, are you going to school today?"

I shook my head, "No."

She sipped from her tea again. She licked her upper lip and cradled the teacup. "Where are you going?"

"I have things to do."

"More important than school?"

"You might say that." I answered.

There was a very brief moment of silence. I watched her stroke the handle of her large teacup. She studied me, and read me with a questioning stare. I listened to her take in a deep breath through her nostrils, smelling her tea.

"I hope you're not ditching school just to avoid,"

"And what if that's _part_ of the reason?" I interrupted, my jaw clenching, inclining my head a bit to one side. She tilted her head back at me. Then she set down her empty teacup. "You know, it seems ridiculous that the only time we talk is the early hours of the morning when I'm just getting up or just going to bed…over a cup of tea of course," She brushed her hair back from one of her shoulders. "Would you like some?"

I didn't answer, nod or shake my head. To be frank, I didn't know what to say. But she took the initiative and turned, got down another cup from the cupboard and put it on the island next to her empty cup. Then she picked up her tea kettle from the stove, and poured tea into both cups. She dropped a couple of pinches of sugar into her cup and slid mine across, turning the handle toward me. I stared at it for a moment and then stepped forward. I noticed an aspect of relief in her. Her shoulders relaxed a bit and her jaw softened. I hadn't even known that she'd been tense.

I took the cup in between my hands and brought it to my lips. It was very earthy and warm. She stirred her tea with a small spoon, dissolving the sugar. I was slightly surprised that she'd purposely neglected to add sugar into mine; surprised that she'd remembered that I wasn't really fond of sweet, sugary things.

I let that fact sink in as we silently drank the tea. There couldn't have been a peace like this between us for some years. Her presence wasn't something I was entirely used to on account of her occupation as a top, professional negotiator that made her _The_ Negotiator on the force, and also being the Peacemaker. It kept her out of the house almost all the time. And I suppose I resented her for that, making it hard for her and me during the times in which she _was_ around. And yet, ironically, I always made it seem like I didn't need her nor care for her presence.

I contemplated draining the cup so I could leave, but I decided against it for some reason and sipped slowly. She looked up into my eyes and lowered her cup. "Warren,"

I lowered my cup in a silent answer.

"Why have you done all of this?" she asked.

I felt my jaw stiffen, but I willed myself to relax. I shoved the habitual hostility away and swallowed down the heat that touched my throat. This peace between us was rare, and I actually wanted it to last as long as it could. So I answered calmly, but stiffly, "Because I had to."

She looked into her teacup, stirring it up a bit. "When I said that I wanted you to prove yourself I didn't,"

"I _had_ to." I said firmly.

Mom put down her teacup on the island and ran a fingertip along the rim. She studied her tea for a little while as I drank. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about it." I murmured, serenely draining my cup and setting it on the island. She watched my slide it toward her quietly. "Bye." I said, turning to leave. I froze when I felt her seize my wrist.

I looked at her hand as it steadfastly gripping me, keeping me still. Then I looked up to her owlish eyes. They were stern and serious, and nearly glowing up at me. When she spoke, she was gentle, but grave and almost fearful.

"Warren…over the years you've done your absolute best to build up walls of steel, thinking that you have to be stronger than me, as strong as your father, stronger than him and stronger than _everyone_ else around you. I want you to let _go_ of all of these feelings that make you think that you don't need anyone else, that you _shouldn't_ need everyone else…even if only for a moment. This isolation, the choices you're making…that does _not_ make you a man. You're a sixteen year old _boy_, Warren. And I want you to realize that."

With that she let go of me, and turned around, taking the kettle and pouring herself another cup of tea. I stood there, flabbergasted, unable to speak. She was dismissing me. I couldn't believe it. My teeth clenched and I swallowed. There was an irritation scratching at my mind at what she had said. But a small sense of acceptance when my brain, for a moment, calculated that she was _right_.

I _was_ just a _boy_. But how could I be? Having this callused exterior _didn't_ make me a man. But how could it not? I _did_ need others around. But how could I?

She didn't turn back around and she did not speak. There was such a finality to her actions that it shocked me. I could hardly remember the last time I'd felt like a child around her. It wasn't all that pleasant. But still I gave in and left the kitchen, giving her the last word; letting her have the power to dismiss me; letting her be the adult in the room.

I paused at the door with my hand on the handle. _How could I be? How could it not? But how could I?_

For a moment I wondered if what I was doing was what I _should_ be doing. Those words had held so much power over me and I couldn't understand why. Sure, my mom hadn't been entirely assertive over the years. I wasn't used to being spoken to like that. Since when could words have such an effect?

I sighed through my nose and closed my eyes. I pushed open the door and closed it behind me. Wind brushed through the trees as I walked over to the garage in the dimness of the early morning. Despite the truth of her words, I couldn't let myself give in. I couldn't give in to what I wanted so much because this was more important than anything I could ever want.

I threw up the garage door, striding over to my repaired Harley. Pausing, I glanced over at the worn, blue tarp that covered an old Honda. My eyes wandered over the dust covering it where it sat covered in the corner of the garage. I looked away and walked my bike out of the garage. I closed it behind me and pulled on my new black helmet. It was darker and cleaner than the last one and the inside padding was decorated with flames. A silent pride I suppose it could've been interpreted as.

I straddled my bike and turned it over after buckling the strap under my chin. I flipped down the dark shade and revved the motor, walking my Harley into movement. I coasted down the driveway and onto the street.

I was grateful for the focus that my trip required. It forced my mind away from Mom's booming words. It wasn't very often that I made this trip so I had to pay strict attention to street signs, highways, scenery, shrubbery, mountains and remember things that weren't entirely familiar. The beginning was a blur. The middle was more frustrating. But the end was something I knew.

It was an impossibly secure place. The series of fences, concrete walls, types of cameras I knew lay inside was almost uncanny. And I knew that they immediately knew I was approaching as I traveled toward it.

The first wall was horrendously high and blocked out anything behind it once you stood in front of it. Stretching over it was a sky barrier that looked like a lightly green glowing birdcage. It only opened for an armored transfer helicopter that I'd only seen once years ago…it had most likely upgraded since I'd last seen it.

I reached the barbed, electrified chain-link fence that stood before the Citadel. Guards in black against the morning sun stood, stern-faced and unmoving near the gates. The gatehouse intercom crackled. "Helmet off." A voice demanded.

I reached to the strap and undid it. I brushed back my hair as I slid my helmet off. I heard a camera whir above my head as it zoomed in on my face.

"State your business." The voice demanded.

I looked up and found the camera. I stared into the lens and spoke: "I'm here to see Cerberus."

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I shifted my head on my pillow at the sound of my alarm clock. For a few seconds, I delayed opening my eyes. But eventually the blaring of the infernal thing came to be a true annoyance. I opened my eyes and glared at the dim numbers and I softened a little bit for the battered little clock. I reached over and gently pressed the snooze bar and turned the alarm switch to 'off'.

After it was quiet once again, I reached above my head and stretched my tired muscles. My spine cracked and I rubbed at my sleep-dusted eyes. Then I rolled over and put my feet on the floor. It was cold compared to the warmth of my bed, but I forced myself up to stand anyway.

I scratched at the collar of my t-shirt and left my bedroom. The door squeaked slightly as I pulled it open. While descending the stairs, I heard Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. As usual, the first landing creaked. I heard a hissing, "Shh! He's coming!" and I cocked a quizzical eyebrow. Slowly, I moved down the stairs, attempting to flatten my sleep-mussed hair. With a sigh, I lowered my hand, and my thoughts drifted to the previous few days that had made up the last of the week before and my weekend.

My parents had been walking on eggshells around me; avoiding much conversation and scarcely looking me in the eye. I had supposed that they'd heard me crying in my room a few days ago, and they did their best to seem busy and pretend not to notice me too often. I'd spent most of my time in my bedroom, lazily twirling the weights from my bench press in between my hands that I once could not lift. I realized how much they weighed, but 250 pounds was no longer 250 pounds to me. It seemed more like a gallon of milk.

I moved off of the last step and walked toward the kitchen. And I just about jumped out of my skin when Mom and Dad leapt out from either side of the doorway, both still in their pajamas, and exclaimed, "Happy Birthday!"

"Holy," I gasped, jumping back a pace and lifting my hands in front of my chest protectively.

Dad laughed, "Whoops. I think we overdid it, Josie."

Mom kissed my forehead and ruffled my hair. "Thought we forgot, did you?"

"Uh,"

"Like we'd ever forget it." Dad mused. He turned and walked into the kitchen, talking seemingly to himself. "_My_ son, with _super strength_, super-super strength, is becoming a _man_ like _his_ old man." He laughed and went over to the stove, "Birthday omelets!"

Mom wound an arm around my shoulder, "Ste-eeeve! Get away from there! You're going to bust my birthday _masterpiece_ I made for Will in half!" Then she kissed my cheek, and went over to the stove. She rubbed at her lips, "You gotta shave, Will."

I reached up consciously and scratched at my chin. Dad laughed, "At least you're not getting patches."

Mom snorted, "Your dad had that problem in high school."

"Hey!"

I rubbed at the gentle fuzz, irritated that it would soon have to be more than once every two weeks that I needed to shave, and yet still a little intrigued that it was noticeable. I was sure that Dad was expecting me to have to shave every morning in a few months, thinking that I was going to be just like him. It was as if my late Power Up had been entirely forgotten.

Dad had broken my omelet, but I reassured Mom that it was no big deal and hid a chuckle when she gave Dad a good swat on the back of his head. After sitting down to eat, Dad sipped his coffee and pushed up his glasses. "You should've seen your face. It was that Halloween Bash at the office all over again."

I blushed, "I was six! Of course I'd be scared if a dead body fell from the rafters!"

Mom smiled, and nudged Dad, lifting her fork, "Quit teasing him, it's his birthday."

Dad smirked and said, "I'm just kidding. He knows that, right Will?"

I snorted and narrowed an eye at him while I enjoyed a broccoli, cheese and ham filled bite of my sad-looking, broken Birthday omelet. Dad uncomfortably brushed a hand back through his hair, "You were so bummed all weekend, Buddy. I felt bad making you think we forgot your big day. But your mother made me do it."

Mom gasped and exclaimed, "That is not true! Your father was the one who wouldn't let me talk to you about it! _I'm_ the one who felt bad! He kept telling me not to ruin the surprise! I thought it was cruel and unusual…"

Dad snickered, and shoveled omelet into his mouth and took a large bite of toast.

I shook my head, "You guys are mean." _And I forgot my own birthday…_

"Too bad your birthday's on a Monday this year. Don't worry about it though, we've got some plans for tonight."

"What, pin the tail on the donkey?" I asked, around a floret of broccoli. Dad knuckled me gently in the arm and then said, "Just because you said that, yes. Freakin' pin the tail on the donkey." He shook his head and smiled at me, "How 'bout more like dinner?"

I snorted, "Let me guess, there's gonna be a job application waiting for me in the restaurant we're going to."

They laughed. Mom covered her mouth as she did. Dad was a little more careless. Then he rubbed at one of his eyes, swallowing down his mouthful before he spoke, "Damn, the hostess must've called and foiled our evil plot!" This time I laughed.

I brushed back my hair and said, "I might as well get an after-school job…"

Dad raised his eyebrows and put down his fork, swallowing down the forkful he'd shoved in his mouth. "There's a position available in the office!"

Mom nodded excitedly, "Yeah, there is! It's mostly simple filing work and Excel computer documentation, answering a few phones, delivering file assignments." "_Wow_." I said, and I looked back down at my plate, scraping egg, cheese and ham back onto my fork. Mom smiled apologetically, "_Yeah_…that sounded a lot less boring in my head. But I'm thinking that we can have the company put you through a temp agency, and quite honestly, I wouldn't let them pay you any less than twelve an hours."

I put down my fork and wiped my mouth with a napkin, "That sounds a bit like coattail-surfing." They glanced at each other silently. And Dad adjusted his elbow on the table, and said, "I haven't heard it put like that before."

I grimaced, guilty about their put-out faces. So I picked up the last broccoli floret with my fork and said more cheerfully than before, "I guess I could check it out."

They look up and smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fun working in the office together!"

"Yeah, you could check it out for a few hours after school. Maybe 3:30 to 6:30?"

"But how is he gonna get to the office?"

"We can send Dallas to pick him up at the bus stop."

"Then he could catch a ride home with me!"

"Or me, Steve."

"Oh, whatever. What day can we bring him in?"

"Wednesday? Because we have the Bullard account meeting tomorrow."

"That sounds fine to me."

I ran a hand down my face and stood up with my empty. This, in turn, led them to both look up at me, as if I'd made a commotion. "Uh…I'm gonna go take a shower." I told them. And I set my plate in the sink, ran some water on it and left the room. With a relieved sigh I went back up the stairs, full and awake now. Each step took me further away from the morning conversation and led me deeper into my head.

_My birthday…?_ The only thing I'd circled for the past couple of months was the day I started Sky High, and then there were the days I would wake up and still not have any powers. I marked those with huge, red X's. I thought briefly about my birthdays in the past. They were days that I had anticipated, and made sure that everyone knew.

Pushing open the bathroom door, I came to the conclusion that I'd been so lost and immersed in my relationship with Warren Peace that I'd neglected most of everything else. I laughed quietly to myself for some reason. Somberly I looked over at the mirror. Who was it that I'd become over the past weeks? Months?

I hardly recognized myself. When looking in a mirror, it had been to look at the burns, bruises and pleasure marks left on my body. I hadn't _really_ looked.

So, I placed my hands on the counter, and looked.

Blue eyes. Young, and ocean-like, but a bit serious. Probably because of my inquisitive search.

Brown hair. Lighter in some places, and darker in others. A bit long now. Probably needed a haircut.

A gentle layer of hair covering my chin. Not coarse yet, thank god.

I looked at my lips and smiled. Thank god again, at least that was still bright and full of life.

Arms. No longer thin, and gangly, but more firm and lean.

I slipped off my shirt and looked at my chest and examined my back. No burns. No bruises, No marks _anywhere_. But stronger. Harder. But probably not entirely noticeable with clothes on.

I looked my reflection in the eye and murmured, "You've changed."

_So have you…_

With a sigh, I stripped off the rest of my clothes and got into the shower. The shower had to be the most commonly solitary area amidst a morning routine. Everyone had a thing. Some people sang in the shower. Some people spent most of their time catching water in their mouth. Some people planned or worried about their upcoming day. Some people reminisced that last few fleeting moments they could remember of their dreams. Some people masturbated.

I'd done every single one of those things in the shower. But today, I just bathed. It was only until after I stepped from the shower that I worried about the upcoming day. I allowed my thoughts to really move about in my head as I went back to my room, towel around my waist.

Stepping over the weights littering the floor, I realized that I had to get myself back on track. I hadn't treated my family and friends very well for the past few weeks. I was going to have to mend what I'd let wither and break. Catch up on what Layla, Zack, Magenta and Ethan had made of themselves. Involve myself. Be a real friend again.

My parents? Dinner. A good time. Do that office job trial that they were so excited about.

And then, Warren Peace. He'd gained power over so much of me. But I had to make a stand now. My life couldn't revolve around one person. That wasn't what being a Superhero was about. That wasn't what life was about.

I sighed, shaking my head as I dressed. Who was I kidding? He'd become such a part of me, that I barely knew if I could live without him. Anything related to him began to truly plague my thoughts now. And I nearly broke down into another fit of crying when I thought about how he'd thrown me out of his garage and coldly dismissed me.

_Calm down! _I told myself rationally. _He wasn't entirely himself and he said things that he probably didn't mean. Something bad happened to him. Maybe it's none of my business. Apologize then. He'll tell me if he wants to. _

Hope was a powerful thing. And all of it was riding on the phrase 'he didn't mean it'. It was slim, and irrational but it was something to keep me from hitting the floor. Even now, I felt like I was dying inside at the thought that he might not let me back into his life ever again. I would have never thought that I would care for someone so much, rely on them, and _need_ them like I did him.

I was probably the only one who knew that Warren Peace wasn't all that he seemed. And I hoped with all of my being that that meant something.


	35. Learning and Lemonade

**You know...this thing has been going on for nearly TWO years...January 22nd 2013 will be Oxygen's two year anniversary...haha, that's a bit pathetic XDD I mean, if it were a webcomic, sure! But a FANFICTION? ****And just imagine, I originally started writing fanfiction to deplete my seemingly never-ending supply of creative brain-vomit...**

**My temporary job has been quite draining...this is because I sit on my butt all day...in a box...all alone...and do almost nothing...I mean sure, I scale trucks in and out as they dump their garbage and demolition debris and I talk with the drivers...but still. O_O I might have lost crackers. I mean, I was already a family-sized mixed bag of nuts before I started the job, but now I'm like a Sam's Club mixed load of nuts. **

**It's kind of sad how much I know about the trucks and stuff. Front-end loader, rear-loading packer, transfer trailer, double tow, roll-off, side loader...blah blah blah, you have NO idea what I'm talking about...and their license plates! I can glance up, see who's driving and enter the license plate in the computer _O **

**The garbage business is slow around the holidays...I mean seriously...I was playing Sims 3 on my laptop today it was so slow and boring...I have no right to complain, but I was NOT put on this earth to have an office job...I was put here to spread ambiguous joy, fluffy rainbows, colorful unicorns, pineapples, comedy, and a whole bunch of gayness...Oh well. **

**If I don't post before Christmas, or the world ends...Merry Christmas! And Happy Hanukah, Quanza, Feliz Navidad, aaaand just a general Happy Holidays to you. **

**Before you go on, I must explain one thing. My friend who usually assists me in translating Chinese process could not help me with this chapter since he had a buttload of finals. I know very little Chinese and my friend isn't extremely fluent, but we did a good job in previous chapters...So I've just italicized the Chinese conversation...who knows, maybe I'd save a lot of time and effort if I just italicized the Chinese parts in the first place...damn...**

**Dear Santa, I want...PINEAPPLES!**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I followed the instructions I received to a point. I road through the fence and stopped before the Citadel where I dismounted my Harley, taking off my helmet. As soon as the gate was opened, six guards poured out to meet me. My bike was taken away, and I was pushed into the building.

Once inside the entry hall of the Citadel, I was led in front of a long, black desk where a guard with a shaved head sat. A gray-haired man came out of a door behind him and walked up to stand beside the seated guard. His beard was mostly gray with white hairs gathered at his chin. He was dressed in a black uniform like the rest of them, however his uniform had a patch of superior rank. His biceps bulged under the long, black sleeves and his knuckles were hard. The cords in his neck hardened as he stood across the desk from me. I recognized the Head of the Citadel very quickly.

He didn't seem hostile, but he didn't look none too pleased either.

"I would've appreciated it if you had called my office three weeks ago, or submitted a request in writing, or _anything_ but a little phone call to my personal phone with a simple 'I'm coming in two days. Please make it happen.'" He said gruffly, staring sternly into my eyes with his steel gray ones.

"I'm sorry, Concussion. It was urgent." I answered strongly, but respectfully.

"Oh, I picked up on that. You're lucky I put a rush on this and even let you in the gate. I know you and your mother don't ask to visit very often. Hell, I haven't seen your mother in here for two years," He squared his jaw and continued, "But I don't care who your mother is, how important she is, how little you or her ask of me, or that you're just a _kid_. I have a job to do here, and I do it right."

"Like I said, I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't important." I asserted.

Concussion's lips pressed into a line and he tilted his head. "I'd be interested to know what the hell was so important."

"I have to talk to him." I said, resilient in my convictions and undeterred despite his intimidations.

The older man studied me very closely, head to toe. And then he growled, "Search him."

None too gently, my wrists were yanked down onto the desk and held there, making me hunch slightly. I grunted as hands came up from behind me, feeling along my arms, reaching into my jacket, patting down my chest to my stomach, and digging into my pockets after patting my sides. My wallet, handkerchief, keys, and cell phone were tossed onto the desk. I jumped when the hands seized my thigh, brushing my balls. "Whoah! _Jesus_, what, are we dating?" I growled, looking over my shoulder. The hands patted down both of my legs in the same manner.

"He's clean." The searcher grunted.

I yanked my wrists away when they were freed and I looked up at Concussion. "What, did you think I was gonna try to bust him out or something?" I growled.

Concussion didn't seem affected by my accusation and dully cocked an eyebrow at me. "You have to admit, these do seem to be suspicious circumstances. And besides, you know that everyone gets the pat-down."

I glanced back at the guard who'd searched me and grunted, "Never thought about asking to share a cigarette after the fucking pat-down."

Concussion pointed at me, waving a finger. "You know, you're a wiseass, just like your father."

"I'm not my father." I growled. "Now do I get to see him or not?"

Concussion stared coldly into my eyes for a long time. I couldn't read his stony expression at all. I had no idea if the odds were going to turn in my favor. Just when I was starting to think I'd made this hellishly long trip for nothing, Concussion heaved a sigh.

"I _did_ put a rush on this so-called request, so this had better be very _fucking_ important, kid. You owe me." Concussion said.

I nodded silently.

"Band him." Concussion ordered.

My eyes widened, "_What?_"

"You heard me. I'm not taking any chances today." The Head said down to me gruffly.

"You've _never_ had trouble with me before, Concussion. Not a single flame. Not even when I got angry. You're pushing it and you know it." I growled.

Concussion clenched his jaw and cocked a challenging eyebrow down at me. I held his eyes for a long time. But I gave in with a growling sigh, averting my gaze. I turned back to the desk and unbuckled the black leather band I wore around my wrist and placed it with the contents of my empty pockets. Then I held out my wrists, "Arrest me, Warden." Despite my irritated, cold words, I mentally prepared myself for the loss of my powers. The loss of my powers in a room full of supers…in the fucking Citadel…like a prisoner. I didn't appreciate the shiver that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

The guard clapped white high-tech bands each with a small flashing black light onto my wrists, and I instantly felt the shock of my fire fleeing away from the surface of my skin.

"First class wiseass." Concussion grunted, reaching up with one big hand to rub at his eyes.

The guard stood and came around the desk with a similar high-tech _collar_. With a sigh I gathered up my hair and let him secure it around my neck. My fire was now securely contained within me. I felt like I had a layer of tar just under my skin all over my body, making me feel unnatural and heavy. I'd never been banded before. The Detention Room at Sky High was nothing compared to the strength of the Citadel's power neutralization and containment technology.

I felt imprisoned within my own body. It was like my powers couldn't breathe. And I wondered how my father could take this every single day of his life and not burn up from the inside out. Oh hell…my _father_. What the hell was he going to do when he saw the bands on my wrists and around my neck…?

Satisfied, Concussion turned away and moved down through the entry hall. "Vortex, Rookie, let's go."

I followed, feeling much like I was being incarcerated myself. Sure, being the son of Cerberus never got me very good treatment, but they seemed rougher today. Being the Head of the Citadel meant that Concussion's moods usually rubbed off on his men. He was probably justified in his attitude and actions. My actions _did_ make this visit suspicious. But I didn't have two weeks to sit around and wait for a request to be confirmed and paperwork to be pushed through. And if I had to stand being powerless for a while in exchange, so be it.

I stepped into the familiar elevator behind Concussion, and was accompanied by his two selected boys, the rookie and Vortex.

The doors closed, locking the small space in silence. Vortex was practically Concussion's left arm, his second. He was almost as tall and bulky as the Head of the Citadel who probably stood at 6'6. His black hair was shorter than when I last saw him. His complexion was still through and through Italian and his accent still seemed to hail his hometown Brooklyn as he said something to the rookie.

The rookie was about as tall as me, and was lean and compact compared to the two larger men. His skin was exceedingly pale, and his combed-back blonde hair was sandy but yet golden like the sun. And when I caught a look at his eyes, I grimaced.

His irises were clear and blue, and literally lapping at the whites of his eyes like the ocean. A water elemental. I had a hard time getting along with other people, but opposite elementals had an even _harder_ time not killing each other. And I feared that I'd probably get doused by the guy by order of Concussion who might find something I did threatening today.

The elevator dropped slowly downward in a sterile silence. We could have been descending into the depths of Hell since the ride was so long. But I knew this journey. I didn't travel it often, but I never forgot it. As a kid, I came here maybe once or twice a year with my mom. But in the past couple of years, I'd come here on my own maybe five times.

When the elevator slowed to a stop, the three steel defense doors slid open to a camera lined hallway. Concussion led the way and the guards followed behind me, keeping me in the middle. I glanced up and saw the cameras watching me as we moved down the hallway. Each one probably recorded different information of who it watched. Density. Distance. Thermal. My body was probably entirely red, and orange compared to the normal temperature reading of the three men I walked with.

Concussion took a left turn and led the way to the end of this second camera-lined hall. There was a set of doors where two guards were posted. They straightened at the presence of Concussion who stilled and pressed a hand to his ear. "Got him?" he asked to the air.

Then he looked back at me, he took my arm and said, "Alright, c'mon." The doors opened and he said over his shoulder, "C'mon you two."

The steel, tiled room before me almost made me shiver. One guard sat at the desk next to the door and looked up at me cautiously when I entered. The other guard stood beside the window of glass extending down from the tall ceiling, and stopped at a table and bolted down stool. "The usual, Peace." Concussion said, turning me toward the desk.

I signed some papers, and gave a few print impressions to document my visit here. The guard sitting at the desk took the papers and neatened them up.

"Turn on the sound." Concussion ordered. The guard sat back down at the desk, "Yes, Sir." He clicked away at a keyboard.

I reached up and scrubbed my hands down my face. Concussion nudged me, gentler than I would've expected out of him today. "Go on. He's coming in."

I approached the glass and looked into the blinding white room on the other side. The wall parted into a door and in he walked followed by two guards wearing high-tech bands of black with small white flashing lights around their wrists and necks. They positioned themselves off to either side, still in sight and alert.

Just like since his sentence and incarceration years ago, he was wearing a white uniform. His hair was longer than when I last saw it, reaching down just past his shoulders. Much like a wavy, black mane of fire. His black eyes settled on me and he smirked lightly. He stopped in front of the window and flattened a palm gently against the glass. "Hello, Warren." His voice came through speakers on either side of the table.

I hesitated. But I lifted my hand and lined it up with his on my side of the glass. "Hi, Dad." It was a little unnerving how well the shapes and sizes of our hands matched. His fingers were long, and his thumb's knucklebone was strong and carved like mine. Practically the only difference was that his skin was slightly paler than mine from the lack of sunlight. And his hands were probably softer than my worked, calloused hands were.

He smiled softly through the thick glass at me. He looked at our hands and paused. His smile faded and his eyes darkened. Consciously, I moved my hand away from the glass, pulling down the sleeve of my leather jacket over the band. He looked over at Concussion through the glass.

He growled, "You're violating my _family's_ rights now? What the hell is this?"

I kept myself from looking over my shoulder to see Concussions face and sat down on the stool. "_Dad, it's fine. It's only for a little while. Just sit down."_

"Chill, Rook. He's not casting a spell on us. They talk in Chinese all the time." I heard Vortex grumble behind me.

He glared over my head for another moment and then grudgingly sat down. It took another moment for his gaze to shift to mine, and his black, shadowy eyes softened. "_It's because they're afraid of you. Very impressive for a teenager."_ He smirked. _"How are you, son? You look good. A bit scruffy unshaven, but good nevertheless."_

"_I'm fine. You do…too…" _

His dark eyes were a bit shaky as they watched me. He started to speak and then heaved a sigh, _"My apologies."_ He reached up and rubbed tenderly at his eyes. _"When you live in a white room with no windows or any particular features, you start to lose your ability to focus on things more than a few inches from you. I appreciate the books you bring me. Apart from reading, they bring some features to my cell."_

"_Sorry that I didn't bring any today."_ I apologized, thinking of the dream I'd had of him picking apart a mouse with the corner of a Stephen King book I'd given him. It couldn't have been true because every book I'd ever brought him was soft-covered. Hard-covered books could weren't allowed because according Concussion they could be fashioned into a weapon.

He waved a hand, _"Think nothing of it. Reading isn't the _only_ way I pass the time."_ He tilted his head at me.

For a moment, my thoughts strayed from my initial planned questions. And before I could stop myself, my tongue followed my thoughts.

"_I…had a dream about you…you were taking apart a computer mouse in your cell, hiding from the cameras…"_

He raised his eyebrows and then chuckled. _"That is _not_ a pastime of mine. But according to a book about dream interpretation that I read about nine years ago…I'd say that you are afraid that I might escape from the Citadel."_ He grinned, and I hid the shiver it caused.

The subject of my father was sensitive. I grew up defending myself over him. My convictions told me that he was a good father, and a good man. But when it came to that dark side he had that I always did my best to overlook, he was horrifyingly evil right down to the core. In that moment, I regretted saying anything about the dream. I felt like it gave him a power over me that he didn't have before.

Did I really fear my father?

I swallowed, shaking the question from my head.

In the uncomfortable silence, his dark, obsidian eyes traveled along my face. He reached to his hair and ran a few long locks through his fingers with a chuckle and thankfully, he changed the subject._ "You know, I used to dye my fire strands in high school. I was far too sophisticated to be thought of as some metal-loving punk."_

I refrained from mimicking his movement, keeping my hand from lifting to touch the strands of red in my hair. _"Yeah…you've told me…"_

"_Yes…I suppose I probably did…After I graduated, I let them go. And now? Hah, I've been here so long that the containment has made the fire gene _recede_ from my hair."_ He smirked and chuckled, shaking his head. Then he settled his elbows on the table and entwined his fingers in front of his mouth. _"So, why are you here, Warren?" _

My mouth dried a bit and I licked my lips. I glanced down at the little flashing lights on the bands around my wrists and then spoke. _"I need you to tell me about Royal Pain."_

His eyebrows lowered by the slightest, betraying his interest.

Dad lowered his folded hands and smiled. _"Now _there_ was a man obsessed with the Commander," _He chuckled, brushing back his hair. _"Why do you need to know about him?"_

"_It's important."_

That felt like my most frequently used excuse nowadays.

Dad leaned in on his elbows with a sigh, tapping his fingers against the table. _"Let's see. He was a techno-path. He could control technology with the slightest thought. I once saw him land a plane in the Commander's face...from the ground…with just a hand raised in the air."_

He looked off in the distance briefly, recalling the moment. And he smirked. _"It was hilarious."_

I waited for him to speak more. But he seemed to be choosing what to tell me carefully, knowing that our conversation was being recorded and then would be translated later. _"For years we had a bit of a rivalry. 'Who could get the Commander first today' and things like that. At times he and I would end up fighting each other, trying to shove the other aside. When it came to hand to hand combat, he wasn't entirely efficient until maybe a month before he died."_

He paused and slightly raised an eyebrow. His eyes traveled along the collar around my neck. I watched his teeth clench as he let out a small growl. Then he continued, attempting to stay calm.

"_His punches all of a sudden had an _intense_ electric shock, his battle suit was upgraded and his powers were stronger. After receiving a fair few electric punches to the face, I let him have the Commander that day. I spent a few lazy days on my own, impressed by the new power of my friendly foe. A couple weeks later, while I was dismantling some tight ends, he sent his giggly little pain in the ass sidekick to see me to try and convince me to join him. Apparently, he had a plan to take care of the Commander and bring down Sky High." _

I leaned forward, "_What was the plan?"_

Dad smirked, "_Not sure. I was distracted. You were born. Sure, I didn't get to stay long, but still…"_

The focused expression on my slackened. Having not really ever talked about my birth, I couldn't believe that my father had stopped wreaking havoc just because I'd been born. I studied him for a moment as he drifted off for a moment, and his smirk slipped into a quiet, warm smile. I almost wanted him to talk more about it, just so I could see that look on his face. Because at that small moment, he was just a man. Just human. But sadly, it faded away quickly when he continued.

"_Next thing I heard about him was that the Commander had blown him up, and his sidekick had disappeared."_

I looked down to my knuckles. He hadn't died. He was back. He was alive. He had a plan. And he was _pissed_.

"_What was his weakness?" _I asked, intently watching my father's obsidian eyes as he observed me.

They narrowed slightly and he smiled, _"I must say, Warren, I'm quite curious as to what is going through your head. And I think I have a pretty good idea…"_

I wanted to avert my eyes so badly. I felt like those shadow-filled eyes were swallowing me up, dragging my secrets from my pupils. So I firmly set my jaw and asked again, _"What was his weakness?"_

His smile liquefied into a full-on, white-toothed grin. And he answered me, calmly and coolly, obviously amused. "_His ego was his biggest weakness, it made him vulnerable in a fight. Right after that came his jealousy and his hate. Though being consumed by hatred and anger fills you with a great amount of strength, it also makes you blind. He underestimated the Commander at the wrong time, and it cost him his life."_

"…_Is there anything else?"_

"_Well…the Commander used to cover him in earth. Rubble, dirt, stone, sand, anything. Earth blocks out the signals of electrical devices and absorbs electricity. It also proved to be productive when Hydrostorm tossed water on him when he was charging. And of course, my personal favorite, massive amounts of _heat_. Just think of him as a big, walking, blathering computer."_

I drew in the details of what I'd just heard.

Earth? I couldn't punch a hole in the ground to sink him in.

Water? Nope…

But massive amounts of heat? _That_ I could do.

Dad caught my attention by brushing back his hair. He leaned against his hand, his head tilting almost predator-like. A smirk came over his face and something told me that he was working things out._ "Anything _else_, son?"_

He was prompting me to ask another question. His dark eyes focused on me more intently, less shaky now. The corner of his mouth turned up further, giving me a flash of a well-taken care of set of teeth.

"_Where…could you…find him?"_

He laughed and it nearly made me cringe. I still couldn't believe that I was actually letting myself see this for the first time. I'd never thought of my father as menacing, or I did and I'd made myself ignore it…But I suppose I was facing a fair amount of wake-up calls lately. I had to make myself get over it, and quick.

"_Villains never really share their lairs, son. But the guy was always attracted to massive amounts of electricity. When he sent his Keebler Elf to me, he'd expected me to figure out where to find him. And I guarantee you that he'd waited for me in the city's Utilidor. All the power and access to electricity there? _Irresistible_ for him. It _isn't_ his secret lair, but it was a place he expected the intelligent to look for him. And if he wanted someone to find him, he'd be there."_

There was an impatient growl behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at Concussion who circled a finger in the air against his folded arms, telling me to wrap it up.

I looked back at my father, but he was standing. My eyes shifted quickly to look up at him. He smirked down at me, and cocked an eyebrow. And he spoke in English, "Glad to help." Then he turned and walked away from the window.

Quickly, I stood, touching the glass. "Dad,"

He chuckled and waved a hand, not looking over his shoulder, "You're _welcome_. See you in another nine months."

Dumbfounded, I let my palm slip off of the window as he was flanked by the guards and escorted through the door. It closed behind them, setting the finality to the visit. He'd never ended it like that before. Usually he watched me closely and longingly until I was out of his sight, with that almost human expression on his face.

Not this time.

This was the second time in one day that _I'd_ been dismissed…now by _both_ of my parents.

"Something tells me that the contents of that recording, when translated, are going to be interesting." Vortex grumbled behind me.

"Probably," I heard Concussion grunt. "Alright, Peace, you got what you wanted. Time to go."

I shook off that childish feeling before it settled in my being. I couldn't afford it right then. I _had_ to be an adult; had to figure out what to do with all of the things I'd just learned.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

With my fist full of a brown paper bag, I walked down the steps of Sky High, over to the grass beneath one of the trees. All four of them were sitting there, relaxing and talking about something or other, appreciating the free period. A cumulus cloud moved across the sun, slightly dimming its light over the school. It didn't seem to bother them. My shadow cautiously followed by my side as I stepped gently across the grass.

I was kind of nervous. Sure, I still had spent time with them when I wasn't around Warren in and out of school, but I felt like I had been incredibly detached and distant. According to the way they'd acted when I'd gotten on the bus this morning and stayed out of the few conversations they were having, they probably had barely noticed. That was good and bad at the same time. They were my best friends; I didn't want to be left behind.

"Hey." I greeted.

The four of them paused in their conversation and looked up at me.

"'Sup Will?" Zack asked, leaning over onto his bag. "Happy Birthday."

"Yeah, Happy Birthday, Will." Ethan added smiling, setting his pen down on his notebook.

"Mhmm, merry day you were _ripped_ bloodily from the womb…" Magenta mumbled in her usual disinterest, her gaze moving back down to the book she was reading. But the fact that she'd said anything at all, despite how vulgar, was encouraging. And a good feeling rose up in me.

I looked over at Layla were she was leaning against the tree trunk. She lifted an eyebrow and smirked, "You didn't say anything this morning, so I thought you didn't want anyone to know. So I told them just to screw with you."

Zack pressed his lips together, and snorted. Ethan ducked his head, eyes smiling brightly behind his glasses.

I laughed, shaking my head, "I wasn't keeping it a secret."

Magenta lifted her head, her eyes staring across the lawn, "Huh…that took the fun out of it." Then she shrugged and went back to her book.

"Listen guys…I've been kind of…I haven't really…been that great of a friend for a while…"

Zack shrugged, "It's okay, dude. We're in different classes. Not like we grew apart or anything."

"It's not just that we're in different classes…even when I hang around you guys, I feel like I wasn't _really_ there. And I'm sorry." I said, clasping the brown paper bag in front of me. Ethan pursed his lips, "Well I suppose I have noticed that you've been somewhat uninvolved lately."

Zack squinted, "Yeah, now that I think about it, when was the last time you were there when we hung out?"

Magenta joined the train of thought with a scoff.

Layla jumped in, "_The point is_, ahem…is that you're here again."

Magenta looked up at me, right in the eyes. As usual, they were dark and observant. But she didn't let the search of her all-seeing eyes delve too deeply into my soul. "So if you're going to just stand there, move a little to the left so you can block out the horrible sun. Either that or sit down."

I smiled and sat down on the grass where I stood, scooting a bit closer. "So nice to know that you missed me so much, Maj." She grunted in mock disgust as she looked back to her book. Ethan twirled his pen between his fingers, "What's in the bag, Will?"

"A peace offering." I replied.

Zack settled his head in his hand from where he lay. "Please tell me that the peace offering is something I can eat."

"Sure." I looked Layla directly in the eye and said, "Lemons." I tossed the bag in the middle of our circle and apples came tumbling out.

"What even," Layla started, "_Oh_," and then she leaned back against the tree, breaking into fits of laughter. I pressed my knuckles to my mouth as I laughed with her. Zack picked up an apple, "Yo, Will, these aren't lemons."

Ethan snorted, "He knows that. It seems to be an inside joke."

Magenta reached over and clasped an apple, "Layla can't make lemons."

Zack tilted his head back, looking up at Layla, "Really?"

She shook her head. "Not even to save womankind, Zack." Layla giggled, taking the apple from him and gently sinking her teeth into it.

I brushed a hand through my hair, "I always preferred apple juice over lemonade anyway." I rolled an apple across the ground, over to Ethan. It bumped against his shin and he picked it up, wiping is off on his sleeve. "Even though you never really left, Will, I guess it's good to have you back."

"You should apo'gize more off-en," Zack said around apple flesh, juice slipping down his chin. "Fwee food. Ness time, c'you bwing cookiezzz?" A chilly breeze came over the school grounds and he shivered. "Brrr!" He pulled down his rolled-up long sleeves of his white and neon yellow shirt.

Magenta lifted her head and looked up into the sky. She smirked, "Winter's coming."

Layla sighed, obviously thinking of the trees and forest life. "At least it doesn't snow."

Ethan shook his head, "On the contrary. Despite living in the West, due to global warming, we could face some snow and frost."

Magenta chuckled, "Can't wait to bring out my winter duster."

"Duster?" I asked, imagining a feather duster.

"I think she means a long winter coat." Ethan explained, adjusting his glasses.

I tilted my head, "I never thought you'd be one who enjoys the Holidays."

"Oh no, I don't appreciate the excessive human contact of relatives who believe that my clothes and hair are a result of my need for attention and all of the mushy, aggravating bull. I just enjoy the cold." She said, closing her book and sitting up. She ran her dark purple nails down her arm, "Gooseflesh is sexy."

It was quite for a moment, and I glanced at Zack. He was making an effort not to stare at the goth, and making a larger effort not to say anything stupid. _Poor guy…_

Layla broke the silence, changing the subject. "You know, I heard that they're putting together a Winter Ball…or a Snow Ball or something…"

"When is it?" I asked.

"I don't know. I didn't really stop and join the conversation with the Seniors. I was late to Super History." Layla shook her head.

"Gee, I wonder if _anyone_ is gonna ask you to go to it with them." Magenta added suggestively.

I glanced at Magenta, knowing that she was talking about Silvanus. Layla blushed almost as red as her hair. Zack tilted his head back again, looking up at Layla, "Oh yeah, did that Stag guy ask you out yet?"

_Well, I guess Ethan and Zack know about it now. _I thought. Then I smiled, _Oh well, I was still one of the first people to know. That counts for something._


	36. Comfort

**I'd like to say that the last month has been good to me, but I fear I can't. **

**A couple days after Christmas, I moved out of my home, and drove three thousand miles across the country with my father to live in California to go to school. We arrived New Year's Eve. And after talking with my future roommate, and the lease office, and finding out that I needed to replace a the whole damn keyboard in my laptop since the W key stopped working with me, my dad talked to my mom over the phone after we tried to reach her a few times. She'd passed out a few times and was having trouble breathing, and she hadn't called anybody.**

**She was taken to the hospital and accompanied by my elder brother alone since me and Dad were across the country. I told myself it was gonna be okay. Apparently, Mom had too. That woman was so damn stubborn. **

**My mom died New Year's Eve, at the age of 42, after having six heart attacks. Sudden, shocking and painful to us all. ****It's hard on my brother because he was there, and he was alone. It's hard on me and Dad because we weren't there. We've been holding on, slowly attempting to keep together at the seams. **

**I'm now back home, staying for a while. Probably gonna aim to go to school in the fall. My mom's company gave me my job back, which is nice. Everyone there is hurting too. She did so much at home, and at work. **

**It sucks losing your mom as a teenager. She was going to teach me so many things still, she was gonna take care of my cat when I left, we were going to skype and cook together via laptops, I was going to buy her a cabin on the lake up in the Adirondacks where we always go camping...**

**But like I said. I'm holding on. People keep telling me 'just call if you need anything' and it hurts, because the one thing I want to ask for is the one thing that they can't give. **

**I hope I didn't just remove your excitement for my monthly chapter posting, though. I can still smile and laugh and live. I mean, I jumped on the hood of my friends car Sunday and she drove down the road with me on it! It was beast...stupid and dangerous...but beast...**

**I REALLY went grocery shopping for the first time on my own with a horribly organized list my dad made on Sunday MORNING...and aced everything on it...hehe, and bought myself a pineapple...that was also beast...I mean, I already ate it and it's only Tuesday! Well in some parts of the world it's already tomorrow...but still...**

**So anyways...HAPPY TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OXYGEN! WHEEEE! -CONFETTIS-**

**Thanks to you all who have stuck with me so far. I know it's kind of ridiculous...I mean it's a fanfic right? If it were an online comic, sure...but a fanfic...? Haha...I'm so lame. Now read on my beloved little sickos. I missed you. And you damn well better have missed me too!**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I trudged up the stairs after locking the door and toeing off my boots. I yawned quietly when I reached the top and pushed open my bedroom door. Thankful for no interruptions from a certain frequent tea-drinker, I closed my door behind me. With weary hands I undressed, thinking of this night's excursion with satisfaction.

With an aggravated grunt, I had jumped down from the broken, barred window and let my boots hit the ground. My footsteps led me away from the Utilidor as the sliver of the moon grinned down at me in the dark sky. I brushed my hair back from my face and found my bike where I'd left it.

Idly I'd stood in front of the repaired black Harley, and dropped a palm on the black flecked dark blue helmet strapped to the back. My thumb had rubbed circles on its smooth surface. I glanced back at the looming figure of the Utilidor.

Fire had seeped from my fingertips and I growled angrily into the night. Seemingly frustrated, I'd scrubbed my hands down my face. Then I glared down at the helmet strapped to my bike. I bit my lip and grudgingly mounted the motorcycle.

Once the motor was rumbling, and my helmet was strapped on, I'd twisted the throttle heading away. Slyly I'd glanced into a mirror and saw my suspicions come true. Pointy shoes skipping away. I'd wondered if I was being watched as I searched the unknown passages, lined with wires, cables, pipes and a large assortment of holey metal paths. My performance had to intrigue my observer, and so would be the observer's master, after a couple more nights like that.

I'd gone to the Utilidor two nights in a row. I'd walked the many lengths of corridors after breaking in. And I'd always put on a show of silent, cold, undecided contemplation. Tomorrow night, I would leave the spare helmet at home and let the villain mull over in my dramatic symbolism.

I sunk onto my bed and pulled the blanket over me. With the black curtains drawn, the crack of dawn fled from my windowpane, leaving my tired eyes unbothered. Sleep began to curl around me and brought me down deeply into the darkness. And for a while I was numb and dreamless.

A short while that is.

* * *

"Warren, wake up."

I groaned at the hand shaking my shoulder and shrugged away.

"Warren, _wake_ up."

Turning my head from the pillow, I winced at the light that stung my eyes.

My mom stood over me. The curtains were wide open, and the light was on. Her eyes shined in the dawn's yellow glow, making her tawny irises seem more owlish. They were stern, and almost angry.

I reached up and rested my palm against my face, tenderly rubbing at my eyelids. "God, what, Mom?"

"Get up. You have time for a shower and a quick meal." She said.

"I'm not going to school today." I said, laying my head back down on my pillow and closing my eyes.

The woman grabbed the blanket and tossed it right off of my bed. My eyes shot open in surprise, "Mom, what,"

"I beg to differ, you _are_ going to school today." She said rigidly.

"I went to bed half an hour ago,"

"Well, that's your fault, now isn't it? I'm getting tired of you going out all night and sleeping all day. You're not a vampire. And I would know, I work with _three_ of them. I don't know what you've been doing, but I'm not going to let it interrupt your schooling. So get your ass out of bed, and into the shower, right _now_."

With that she turned and left my bedroom.

I couldn't believe it. When the hell was the last time she had talked to me like…well nowadays it seemed it was frequent. She was playing the parent card. And foolish me, I was still a fucking kid.

I glanced at the clock and heaved a weary sigh. Very well then, I'd amuse her. Shower, eat breakfast with her, and part ways at the end of the driveway. I'd ride around for a bit, then go back home to sleep. After that, take off for a while until darkness fell and slink around the Utilidor for another night.

Gratingly, I dragged myself from the comfort of my mattress and picked the discarded blanket up from the floor and deposited it back on the bed. With a passing look at my hamper, and the clothes littering the floor I figured that laundry had to be done before I went back to sleep. Otherwise I'd be trespassing the Utilidor's empty, metallic corridors bare-assed.

In the bathroom, I leaned against the wall and turned on the spray of the shower. With a little more than half an hour of sleep beneath my eyes, I tiredly watched the water stream from the showerhead. The steam began to rise and fog the small room, lazily seeping from the cracked door. With the steady noise of the falling water and the luxury of the engulfing heat, I closed my eyes.

And for a fleeting moment I suppose I fell asleep. But quickly I woke back up when my head lolled. With a sigh, I stripped and stepped under the spray. It was so easy for me to drift away in the shower. The scalding heat was a comfort like no other. I spit water and chuckled, recalling a story that Mom once had made up when I was a little kid.

A hungry gaggle of ogres were hungry for little boy. They took a little boy with a streak of red in his hair from his backyard where he was playing. They had a giant pot steaming and bubbling to cook him in. And when they lowered the scared, wriggling little boy into the water, the little boy stopped wriggling. The ogres looked on in confusion as the little boy started splashing happily around in the extremely hot water, unharmed, and most definitely not cooking. Frustrated, the ogres stirred the little boy in the pot, trying to make little boy soup. But the little boy laughed and splashed still. "You can't cook me!" he told them, "I'm a little fireboy!"

I rubbed a hand down through my hair, pushing the suds from it with a snort. _What a stupid story…_ But yet it had amused me to no end all of those years ago. I remember retelling Dad that story during one of his visits. He'd made that face. That almost human smile.

I brushed water from my eyes, shaking my head. Now that Mom had declared me just a boy, I couldn't stop reverting to feeling just like a child. _Goddamn that woman…_

With a frustrated growl, I soaped up my body, and washed my face. Now with all that I knew and my plans for action, I really couldn't afford to feel like a kid. I had to at least pretend to feel big, strong and indifferent. Otherwise there was a chance I'd back down.

After rinsing off I turned off the spray and stepped from the shower. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I left the bathroom and went across my bedroom to close the door. The water evaporated slowly from my body as I found my last pair of clean boxers. No jeans, so I picked up the pair I'd worn yesterday. As I pulled on socks, I grimaced. Despite being big, strong, and indifferent, I hated the feeling of wearing dirty clothes after showering. It made everything feel heavier and disgusting.

Still, I sucked it up and pulled on a wrinkled t-shirt from the bottom of a drawer as I went down the stairs. Instantly, I could smell something cooking. I brushed back my dry hair as I stepped down the hallway into the kitchen.

She turned to look at me as I came in. She was standing in a white tank top and jeans, and for a moment I wondered if she was actually going to go anywhere.

_Shit…_

She cast a glance at my dusty jeans, but said nothing. Then she lowered her eyes to the island. I did as well. Orange juice, eggs and toast with a fork. I yielded from her eyes and picked up what she cooked for me and started eating.

She turned with a glass of orange juice at her lips. A tip of the pan in her fist plopped eggs onto an empty plate she put on the island. After placing the pan in the sink she grabbed toasted bread from the toaster and took a rigorous bite from it. Dry 12 grain toast was her thing. Not particularly mine.

"Making peace in that?" I asked, sipping from my orange juice.

Mom glanced down at herself, "Didn't want to get grease on my blouse. So where's the argument?"

"I'm not taking the bait."

"Is that right?"

I cocked an eyebrow down at the woman. _Why the hell did you decide to be a parent now of all times?_

Her gaze didn't break mine. Challenging me. Reading me.

I left half an egg on my plate and bit off the corner of a piece of toast. Then I moved around the island, dumping the last of my breakfast in the trash before putting it in the sink. "Well, I guess _school_ is waiting." I said, sarcastic and mocking. I took an exaggerated step toward the door and paused when she spoke.

"You're not taking your bike."

"What?" I asked, turning around.

* * *

I stared out the window, hardly believing that this was happening. I knew it was childish, pouting like this, but I couldn't make myself look at her. She was making no effort to speak to me either, so the awkward silence continued on. With a quiet sigh, my eyes sunk wearily closed.

I jumped when her voice sounded, "Wake up, Warren. We're here. And there's the bus."

Opening my eyes and seeing the fucking bus to school was an embarrassment.

"Have a good day." Mom said sweetly.

With an incoherent grunt, I grabbed my bag from between my boots and shoved the car door open. I shut it behind me none too gently, and stalked toward the bus. The students boarding and the ones already on board stared at me. They'd seen everything. Questioning thoughts and quickly averted gazes when I shot them a glare.

I plopped down in an empty seat, making those around it shy away and become silent. I brushed back my hair, and dug into my back. My iPod was something I hadn't used in a while. Right now, it seemed an appropriate escape. I shoved the phones into my ears and thumbed through the device, biting on the inside of my lip angrily.

_I can't believe…I was just dropped off at the bus stop…by my fucking mom…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

Doing something can easily be thought out, planned. But once you're faced with it, your plans slip from your mind and you feel like you lost all your courage. That's how I felt as I saw him pass by in the intersecting hallways mere yards away from Layla's locker where I leaned. My mouth went dry and I jerked away from the lockers. But I moved no more.

Layla paused in her description of her most recent date with Silvanus. "Will?"

_He didn't even look over at me. Well, he probably didn't even see me, I mean he was walking in the opposite direction._

But he was at _school_.

"Are you okay, Will?"

I turned back to Layla, and licked my dry lips. "Yeah, I'm fine…So anyways, painting in the woodsy part of the park?"

She smiled, obviously happy to know that I'd really been listening. That smile comforted me a little. Brought back some of my courage. I thought of his smile, and how much I longed to see it again. A silent sigh slipped from me, and I shifted my bag strap and glanced over my shoulder when Layla dug into her locker.

I caught one last glimpse of the back of his head as he moved away. A sigh left me once more and I turned back to Layla. I was sure that he wasn't going to come looking for me, so I knew I'd have to find him. I knew of a few chances I could have. Chances where I'd met him before. But then again, Warren wasn't exactly predictable, nor a creature of solid habit. But I was bound to run into him sooner or later. The problem was getting him alone…and to hopefully listen to me.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

"Mr. Peace!"

Unable to be shocked by loud noises anymore, my eyes slid open. My jaw was rested solely against my knuckles, and ever so slightly, I was drooling.

Medulla was standing over me. "Fire bad." He said, pointing out the small fire burning up the packet of papers beneath my smoldering hand. Some people shrieked when they saw the table in flames. I cocked an eyebrow at the flames and scooped them off of the papers, snuffing the rest out with my bare arm. I set the fire back onto the Bunsen burner, and pulled the rest into my palm.

I rubbed the bit of drool from the corner of my mouth and sighed.

"Can someone tell me why a pyrokinetic waving their hand over a Bunsen burner flame while extremely drowsy can potentially be dangerous?" The big headed oaf, looked around, folding his hands behind his back. "Anybody?"

Everyone was too afraid to say anything. Anything to piss me off.

"It's dangerous because a pyrokinetic cannot feel pain from the flames. In fact, they find the heat quite comforting,"

I rolled my eyes.

"And if exposed to such constant heat, it may heighten the drowsiness, put the pyrokinetic to sleep, and in turn, spread fire. Yay, A plus for me. Mr. Peace, please go to the men's room and splash a little cold water in your face before you burn down my entire lab." Medulla said. "Come on, now. Go on. Shoo, if you please."

_Fine, see if I come back…_I thought tiredly, slinging my bag over my shoulder and rising from my seat. The teacher had noticed me pull on my bag, but said nothing, probably glad that I most likely wasn't gonna come back for the rest of class.

I left the classroom and wandered through the empty hallways. Reaching up, I rubbed at my eyes with a groaning sigh. I could hardly believe how exhausted I was.

A locker clunked closed and I glanced toward the perpetrator of my tired trance.

Flames licked at my ribs from my heart, and the core of my stomach grew hot. But I swallowed it down, my throat feeling somewhat cold.

Ocean blue eyes. _Shit…_

"_Warren_…I…I…uh…can we…can you…I…do you have a…second?"


	37. Intervention

**Good evening my beloved sickos!**

**I do sincerely thank you for all of the words laced with gentle care and healing that you all have given me over the past couple of months. You've all helped me very much and I appreciate each comment or message. **

**I also appreciate your patience over the past couple of months while I went inactive. **

**But now I must say that Tawny has made a shockingly unexpected and triumphant return! **

**Today, March 4th is my 19th birthday. It's my first birthday without my mom, and I still miss her very much. But slowly, I'm stitching myself back together! **

**Oh dear goddess, haha, my birthday was wonderful! There was a cake with candles and singing and a small party and everything! I haven't done that since I was like 15! And it was right after I got home from the gym! I was all sweaty and stanky and I was like "WHOAH WHAT UP WITH THE PEEPS IN MY HOUSE?!" My gifts were cards with gift cards and a twenty, but I didn't care at all. Just them being there was great! And besides, the girly pink-flowered cake was the most hiliariously ironic thing I'd ever seen in my life! **

**My father was like "I COULDN'T FIND A GOTHIC CAKE IN THE NORMAL PEOPLE STORE!" XDDD**

**Now no favorites out of my gifts, but the best was a giant pineapple with a green bow on it given to me by my Aunt Kristie! I was like "YOU GOT ME A PINEAPPLE?!" She like "YES, I DID!" Then I was like "IT'S SO HUGE I COULD DIE!" To which she replied "I KNOW RIGHT?!" And then I responded "I'M GONNA NEED A SWORD TO SLICE UP THIS BAD BOY!"**

**Yes, much fun indeed...Psych also came back in time for my birthday! Recorded the premiere and watched it today ^_^ **

**Let's see, I've also adopted two small English female rats. A black and white one named Thisby, and a white one named Imogene. SHAKESPEARE REFERENCES! Those who can name the two plays those names originate from earn my favor and may be my lap dog sicko for the week. **

**And just now I ordered a bonsai tree as a birthday present to myself...pretty nifty. **

**And since it's my birthday, I'm making use my usual habit of giving gifts to my guests as well! This update is your gift. Granted, it is short...and slightly solemn, but still! A gift is a gift! **

**Go forth my darling sicko imps. The game has resumed.**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I licked my lips and swallowed when he didn't turn entirely to face me. But he didn't walk away either. In truth, his body probably wasn't willing to move. He looked exhausted. His dark eyes were weary. It didn't look like he'd shaved since the last time I'd seen him. But it seemed that there was no longer a bruise covering the side of his jaw, or a cut to be seen on his face. His hand was unwrapped and aside from the tired slouch, he seemed okay.

His shoulders rose a little bit and he seemed to quietly sigh through his nostrils. He looked away, toward the floor, "What is it, Stronghold?"

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you," I swallowed again, gently speaking but trying to put some more conviction under my words. "I was just worried about you…because you were hurt,"

"You're apologizing for stupid reasons." He said gruffly, then added a low mumble that sounded like, "You're stupid for apologizing…"

"Th-then…Warren please tell me what to," I started.

He shook his head, "You have to stop."

"Warren, please, I,"

"Stronghold!" He barked, silencing me with his firm tone. He stepped toward me, "Don't _ever_ apologize to me. Just forget everything, okay? Forget whatever the hell _this_ is," He stopped directly in front of me, gesturing between us. "whatever it _was_! I _don't_ want this, and I don't want _you_." He growled. "If you keep coming after me, you're gonna get hurt, and not in the way you like."

"Warren,"

"_Stop_. I _don't_ want you. Quit disillusioning yourself." His tired eyes glared half-heartedly down at me. Trying too hard, like he was lying to me for some secret reason. Protecting me from something…and that kept me going. We both spoke at the same time.

"Warren, whatever is wrong, just please,"

"Stronghold, I swear to god, if you don't,"

He grabbed my collar and threw back a fist, high enough to be aimed at my face and I winced, shutting my eyes. But no blow came. After a short moment of listening to his breathing, I opened my eyes cautiously.

His fist wavered in the air. His jaw was set firmly. The turmoil and anger in his eyes made the back of my throat feel cold and prickly. My voice cracked when I whispered, trying to hold the water welling in my eyes at bay. "Warren…please…" I watched the anger soften, and the turmoil strengthened as his jaw slackened. He let out a harsh breath from between his lips.

I reached up gently, to touch his hand that held me by my collar. But he pulled away before I could. "For god's sake, Stronghold…pain is just a message. And _anyone_ can write you those letters." Shaking his head, he turned to walk away.

"Warren…I only want them to be from _you_."

He stopped, his head rising by the slightest. Then his shoulders hunched and I heard him pull in a craggy breath. I moved forward, and reached out, hands trembling. From behind I softly wrapped my arms around his torso. I turned my head and rested my cheek against the shoulder unblocked by his bag. I breathed in. He was so warm. He smelled so good.

That warm scent of worn leather, and smoldering, spicy fire made me breath even deeper and slower.

I felt a heat approaching my hands where they clasped against his stomach. And then a hot palm rested over my fingers. I ducked my head closer to his shoulder, closing my eyes. "Warren…"

A moment of silence followed. I felt a muscle in his shoulder tighten slightly as he lowered his head. "You're making this so much harder…" he murmured. I felt him reach up with his unoccupied hand and rub at his face.

Somewhere behind me, a door opened and Warren shoved my hands away. And he walked down the hallway to the left, disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds, readjusting the strap of his bag.

The conversation behind me slowed down.

"Okay, I've added it to the list."

"And I was thinking we could have some fake snow on…the…"

The soft footsteps paused as my face grew hot, water blurring my vision as I looked down to the floor.

"Will?" It was Gwen calling to me. To the side I heard her ask, "Who just walked away from him?"

Two pairs of footfalls approached me from behind.

"I think it was Warren Peace." That was most definitely Penny.

"Will?" Gwen called again, closer this time. I felt a soft hand settle on my shoulder as she came around me, "Will, are you okay?"

In my peripheral vision I saw her lightly glossed lips frown. "Ohhh, Will. What happened? Penny, do you have some tissues?"

"Yeah, hang on." The cheerleader said, digging into her purse, coming to stand on my other side.

Gwen came around in front of me and took my hands, "Come on, Will. It's okay." Then she was wiping under my eyes with a tissue that Penny gave her. "Did you and Warren get in a fight?"

"He doesn't look banged up," Penny said, gently touching my arm. "You okay?"

Gwen shook her head at Penny. She finally caught my gaze in her soft, dark brown eyes. Her hair was hanging loosely today, touching the shoulders of her powder pink blouse. She asked, "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

A hoarse murmur tumbled from my lips.

"What?" Penny asked.

Gwen shot her a look and Penny's eyebrows rose. She moved her black hair from her shoulder in shock.

"I think…he's breaking up with me…" I reached up and rubbed at my wet eyes. "If there was even anything to break up."

"Come here," Gwen crooned comfortingly, pulling me to her. She hugged me tightly as I wiped at my eyes. I forgot about that time Penny had dismissed my friends, and let her rub gentle circles into my back. The technopath's perfume was familiar from all of our close study sessions. She smelled like gardenias. But then there was kind of a slight electric metallic smell…probably from all the devices that she handled.

She gave my shoulders a comforting squeeze, and said, "Come on, let's go somewhere to talk."

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

_Oh good god, I didn't think it was even possible for me to feel embarrassment…_

Getting off the bus and seeing Mom parked where she was when I'd gotten on in the morning made me wonder if she'd sat there waiting for me all day. Rolling my eyes, I walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the eyes I could feel on me as well as the whispers. As I got further away, I heard Mom throw the car in drive. And of _course_, she pulled up beside me, rolling steadily as I walked.

The window whirred as it went down on the passenger side. "This would be so much less painful if you just got in, Warren." I heard her say, but I didn't look at her.

"You make me want to die."

"I'm sure. There's a TV show like this you know, it's called _Intervention_."

After a block or two of walking in silence, a resigned groan flowed from between my teeth and I yanked open the door. After ducking inside and closing it behind me, she drove away.

"See? Was that so hard?"

I finally looked at her. She was wearing different jeans and a green tank top. She had stitches near her hairline on the right side of her forehead, a bruised lip, some scraped up elbows and a white patch on her arm.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked, growling at the thought of some guy beating up on her. And for a moment, I wondered where that protectiveness came from. I knew that as a Negotiator she'd been in some intense situations, but I never really actually thought about her being in _danger_. And I saw a flicker of something warm in her tawny eyes.

"Hostage situation. Trigger happy and a mean left hook." She said, looking back to the road. She smiled a little bit, "I'm touched that you care."

"Oh please…" I growled, looking out the window.

For a moment there was silence.

Then I just _had_ to fucking mutter, "You okay?" As if I hadn't lost my dignity enough…How the hell could I be angry with the woman if she had a gash on her arm from a stray bullet and a fat lip?

Quietly she answered, "Yeah, I'm okay."

More silence.

Then I asked, "Am I allowed to take my bike when we get back or am I on house arrest too?"

"Be back in time for dinner."

I groaned.

She chuckled, "Unless you have work."

"As a matter of fact I do, you can even call Shu and confirm it."

"I believe you. I'll even come in for dinner and you can serve me."

_Oh for fuck's sake…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I licked my lips and set down the empty glass. Then I reached up and rubbed at my sore eyes.

"Still thirsty?" Gwen asked, picking up my glass.

With a shake of my head I answered hoarsely, "No, but thanks Gwen." I rubbed my tongue at the roof of my mouth. I'd never ever considered that pineapple and avocado could possibly taste okay together. But after a couple of glasses of the odd green liquid, there was this weird taste on the back of my tongue. I didn't want to complain about it to Gwen. After all, she'd been listening patiently to me for the past three hours unload, cry, unload, cry, unload and then cry some more.

I owed this girl so much.

She nodded, smiling gently and then left her living room to go into the kitchen down the hallway. Distantly, I heard running water as she rinsed out our glasses. I let out a long sigh, feeling weary. I fell back against the plushy royal red sectional and closed my eyes.

The sound of her returning wasn't quite enough to make me open my eyes.

She sat down beside me and stroked a hand through my hair, "Will, I'm sorry but it's almost dinner time, and my father just gave me the stink eye. Want me to take you home?"

I opened my eyes and sat up, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you in trouble with your dad." As I stood she did too.

"C'mon, I'll give you a ride."

"No, it's okay," I started, following her toward the dining room to the front door.

She turned and looked at me seriously, "Will, I _don't_ want you walking home by yourself tonight."

I frowned and looked toward the floor, feeling reprimanded. One of her soft hands came up and touched my cheek, "Hey, it'll be alright." I looked back up at her. She smiled apologetically, "Okay? C'mon, I'll take you home."

She slipped her hand to my shoulder and I let her guide me outside to the garage. Once inside I looked at a big black van sitting over in the corner. I raised my eyebrows at the front of it. It was scraped up and a light was broken.

Gwen saw me looking as she went over to a red Versa. "Had a little fender bender." She frowned and shook her head. "The guy was a bit of a hothead, cruising at about seventy miles an hour."

I nodded to show that I was listening, trying to ignore that she'd said 'hothead'. She seemed to realize what she'd said and sighed. "Sorry."

I shook my head, "It's okay, really, Gwen."

She ducked into the car and leaned over, opening the door for me. I got in and shut the door behind me as she hit a button on a remote to open the garage door. She threw it in reverse as I buckled my seatbelt and backed neatly out of the garage and to the street.

"New car?" I asked as she shifted into drive and went down the street through the street lamp lit darkness.

She shrugged, "Well, kind of. I built it. A lot of different parts. But it's works great. My dad helped me buy parts." She smiled a knowing smile, gently rubbing the steering wheel with her thumbs. I'm pretty sure that I'd probably had a similar face when I'd first gotten my guitar years ago after doing every bit of yard work for whatever neighbor required it. Something that you worked for, something that was purely yours gave you a sense of pride.

After a few minutes, my head lolled sleepily. I was so tired, and there was this odd ache in the pit of my stomach. It had to be the emotionally draining day I'd just had. I jumped awake when I heard the wipers turn on. After I looked through the windshield I saw that it had started raining.

I glanced toward Gwen. She turned briefly to look at me and smirked softly, "Sorry. But I guess it's good you're awake. We're almost at your house. You okay?"

With a sigh, I reached up and rubbed tenderly at my eyes. "I guess…not really."

"I'm sorry, Will. I really am. It won't feel okay for a while. But it doesn't have to hurt forever, you know."

I looked over at her as she slowed to a stop in front of my house and unbuckled my seatbelt. "How do you mean?"

"Don't worry, you'll find the answer."

She leaned over and gave me a gentle hug. I wrapped my arms around her with an unconscious delicacy, making sure not to hurt her. She was very soft, and she smelled pretty. It made me smile lightly against her shoulder as her strawberry-smelling hair brushed my cheek. "I'll text you, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay. Thanks...for being a...good listener."

"Don't worry, Will."

Then she let me go, and I opened the car door, quickly shutting it behind me. Gwen gave me a wave and did a three-point turn. I watched her go down the street until her taillights disappeared around the corner. A shiver traveled down my spine as the chilly rain soaked my shoulders and down my back. So I turned quickly and went up the walk to the porch. I twisted the doorknob carefully and went inside, taking off my wet shoes at the mat.

Dad came out from the kitchen as I was taking off my wet jacket. He'd taken off his tie and his sleeves were rolled up. "Whoah! Hey Buddy! How was the study session?"

"It was okay." I answered, hanging up my jacket and brushing back my wet hair.

"Hey Will!" Mom called from the kitchen. "Steve, get back in here and mash the potatoes!"

Dad rolled his eyes, "But I just washed the lettuce!"

"_Now_!"

"I'm gonna go shower and change." I said, taking Dad's attention for a brief moment.

"Okay." He said, smiling. As I walked past him toward the stairs he spoke again. "Hey, Will?"

I paused, "Yeah?"

"You okay, Buddy?"

His eyes observed me with quiet concern behind his glasses. I hadn't seen him look at me like that for a long time. I hadn't done or said anything out of the ordinary, so what made him notice something?

He let the silence pass between us, patiently studying me, but seeming to tense a bit more as the seconds went by. And for a brief moment, I almost unleashed all I'd unleashed on Gwen this afternoon.

"I…Yeah, I'm okay, Dad."

Slowly, a corner of his mouth turned up slightly, giving me a nod. At that, I moved up the stairs, trying to hold back the tears that leapt to my eyes.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I let out an angry yell, and burned the piece of paper up in my hands. Ashes floated gracefully to the ground and I kicked one of the recaps littering the street.

_"I'm not stupid, Mr. Peace. I can see your love for the son of your father's incarcerator is too strong for you to betray him. Even if I had believed your cute little Shakespearian dramas, you are no longer needed. Points for effort though. RP"_

I ran a hand roughly back through my hair. What was I supposed to do now? _'No longer needed'…_

Biting down on my lip, I glared at the ground. He had a plan to get that weapon. It was already in effect. If he succeeded, his shocking and unexpected return to torment society was imminent and bound to cause disaster.

_And what if Stronghold gets caught up in the crossfire? _I thought, sinking down to a crouch and clutching at my hair. _What the hell am I gonna do?_

I rubbed at my eyes, tired from the lack of sleep. I was entirely lost in the raging storm in my head, panicking, trying to figure out what to do. What was wrong. What was right. What was best for me. And what was best for him…

Shoving myself up to stand, I threw a leg over my bike and yanked on my helmet.

_Watch over him._


	38. Cowabunga

**Ahoy maties!**

**I actually attempted to post this last night, but fell asleep only to wake up when my dumb drunk friend called me and I had to go pick him up and drive him home. Not before throwing my car in reverse in my driveway and seeing a huge black bear sniffing around my garbage cans...So, that'll be five dollars for making me drive him home, five dollars for making me drive myself back home, five dollars for almost getting me eaten, and ten dollars for waking me up...!**

**Waking me up is a very serious crime, my sick children...remember that.**

**Despite losing my mom, I've had to pick up and keep moving. Some days are harder than others. Some days are easier than others. But I've been doing okay my darlings. I do appreciate the messages of comfort and encouragement. **

**I think I was reluctant to finish this chapter...I mean...I've been writing this for TWO years...which is sad because it's a fan fiction...BAHAHA...Good Goddess...****But still, I was reluctant to finish it, because the shit is finally starting to hit the fan...the things that I've had plotted in my head for the last two years of my life are finally being put into play...in a fan fiction...XDDD O****, woe is me, pathetic are we!**

**I appreciate those who have held on for this seemingly never-ending ride, which is pretty much all of you...and my army of sickos continues to grow each day. I mean, I lose count of the email alerts I receive on my phone in one day. "So-and-so is following you"...admittedly, it's a LITTLE creepy to see that. I can only imagine what it would be if I met my sweet sickos face to face!**

**We'd be a team of unimaginable proportions...**

**Canon is being reintroduced a bit here. Fear not, gentle sickos, give my your hands and I will provide you warmth and comfort at the bleeding heart you may suffer...which I'm sure will only get worse...Foreshadowing...? Dun...dun...DUUUN! **

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

The porcelain of the toilet seat felt unbearably cold against my forearms. I heaved, feeling the last of my dinner make its way up my throat. With a final cough, I sat back on my heels and leaned against the wall. That felt cold too.

_Everything_ seemed cold.

Looking down at my hands, I clenched and unclenched my fists. They felt heavy with sleep, and a sort of tingling numbness. I rubbed at my arms, trying to find warmth.

Nothing.

Just a chilly, empty numbness.

With a long, shivery sigh, I flushed the toilet, wincing at the updraft of the scent of vomit. With shaky limbs, I dragged myself to my feet and hunched over to the sink. I flinched at the coldness of the faucet as I turned on the water.

With warm water, I rinsed out my mouth and rubbed at my face. The warmth was faint, but comforting. I scrubbed my palms together under the flow, trying to feel the heat. My eyes slid shut and I nearly collapsed into sleep. Before I could, I grabbed onto the sides of the sink and lifted my head, trying to rid my skull of the icy mist cloud.

Groaning quietly, I turned off the faucet and went back to my bedroom.

Once back in my bed, I tugged the blankets off of the floor where they fell once I had hurriedly vacated the mattress to throw up unceremoniously in the bathroom. I struggled to find the warm spot where I'd been settled.

Couldn't find it.

Instead, I cocooned myself in the blankets and curled up, trying to trap in all of the warmth I could. And for a moment, I thought that despite feeling so weak, I was comfortable.

However, it was short lived when the heat gathered entirely into my body and I tossed the blankets swiftly off of me, wiping sweat from my face.

I worked my tongue around in my mouth. It was dry and felt thick. The ache that had been in my stomach had been spreading. It was in my chest and my thighs as well now.

The ache made me feel weak and tired, but I couldn't find sleep to soothe it as I tossed and turned all night; all the while I was immediately too cold, or too hot…and at times I felt entirely numb.

When I next tossed my body onto one side, I let out a hoarse, delirious sob.

_Oh god, Warren…why?_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"Warren! Don't even think about going to bed!"

Exhausted, I slumped against the frame of the stairwell, groaning. Of course, I hadn't intended to go to bed, but still, the sound of her voice yelling from the kitchen dug at my nerves.

"Taking a shower!" I managed to call back.

"Alright, but be quick! We gotta talk!"

"Oh, I'm sure we do." I mumbled, dragging myself up the stairs to my room.

The floor was devoid of dirty clothes and there was a laundry basket on the end of my bed. My grimace softened and I reached up to rub at my eyes tiredly. Mom had gone through my room and had taken care of my clothes. I'd been doing my own laundry, sort of, for the past seven years. Why exactly were things in this household beginning to change now?

I slipped into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes and reached for the hot water faucet in the shower. Hesitation stopped my hand, and I reluctantly turned on the cold water, peppering it very lightly with warm water. I shivered when I stepped under the spray.

It woke me up I suppose and I couldn't entirely comprehend the cold because of the fire element in me…but it wasn't at all comforting. Quickly, I washed up and started rinsed off. As I leaned my head back, I did my absolute best not to worry about how often I had thought I'd spotted movement in his bedroom as I'd stood outside throughout the night…watching over his house…

Gratefully turning off the cold water. Once out of the shower, the fire in my body worked swiftly to soothe my slightly chilled skin, drying me off as it did.

I dressed in some clean clothes from the basket and shrugged into my leather jacket as I went down the stairs. Before going into the kitchen, I pulled my boots back on. And for a second, I thought about picking up my bag from the floor and just taking off to the bus stop on my bike.

"Oh, come _on_ Warren,"

I jumped and whipped around. Fire leapt from my hands and shot up to my shoulders at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

There was a man standing behind me in front of the now open door. About as tall as me. Short, deep burgundy hair. Pale skin. Dark sunglasses shielding his eyes from view.

At the sight of my fire, he shied back and raised his gloved hands openly, a hiss spitting out warningly from between his teeth. His very…pointy teeth.

"Whoa! Easy, boys! Warren, cool off." Mom touched my shoulder, "Warren, power down. It's fine." She shook her head at the stranger, "I told you not to sneak up on him unless,"

He gave a slight nod, "Unless I want to get torched. I didn't mean to."

Mom shook my shoulder, "Warren, seriously, it's okay. Power down."

Slowly, the fire receded from my shoulders but still licked the air between my fingers. "Who the _hell_ is this?"

"Mark Lodge, _somewhat_ pleased to meet you. Forgive me if I don't shake your hand." The stranger said, smiling gently and adjusting the collar of his blue button-up beneath his black suit jacket.

I looked at Mom, and she gestured at him, "Lodge is my partner."

Cocking an eyebrow back at the guy, I spoke, "You didn't tell me that out of the three you work with, that your _partner_ was a bloodsucker."

Lodge grimaced and pressed a thumb tip against a fang, his canine teeth shrinking down as he did. "It's a recent thing."

Mom shrugged, and led the way toward the kitchen, "Yeah well, you and I never talk about _anything_ anymore, so that's probably why you didn't notice me missing a lot more frequently than usual a couple of months ago. That had to do with this dipshit getting himself killed."

Lodge scoffed, "You cried over my body and you know it, Peace."

Mom scoffed back, going around the island in the kitchen. "In your dreams, _Edward_." Lodge grabbed his chest, "Oh now, that just plain _hurts_."

I silently watched them go back and forth. I didn't have much family, and I'd never really seen my mom socialize with anyone so…casually. I hadn't thought about her having friends. _Good_ friends as it seemed…

"Yeah, I'm sure it just breaks your decaying little heart." Mom said, ducking into the fridge. Lodge in the meantime went over to the kitchen window and tugged closed the shades. Afterward he reached up and took off his sunglasses, "You'd make an excellent schoolyard bully."

Mom backed out of the fridge, smirking and holding the orange juice. "I would, wouldn't I?"

"Okay, this is weird." I said, cutting into their banter.

They looked over at me as if they had forgotten I was there. Lodge's eyes unsettled me. They were the palest of greens, probably had to do with that whole vampire thing…and there were a couple of ragged scars beside the left eye, dragging the corner of it down slightly.

Mom waved a hand, "Don't mind the scar, Warren. Turns out vamps stay just as ugly as they were when they were human."

Lodge cocked an eyebrow at her, "Pft, well you're no forest nymph yourself, duckling. And if I recall, two years ago, _I_ shoved _you_ out of the way so it wouldn't be _you_ taking a bullet through the eye socket. So if I'm 'ugly', it's your fault."

Mom merely smirked.

"What exactly were we supposed to talk about?" I asked.

They looked back at me once again. Mom's smirk faded and then she poured two glasses, "We gotta talk about _you_, Warren."

"What a surprise. I seem to be the focus of all of your tendencies these days." I sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, you're bringing it on yourself. You're the one who turned on the parental instinct." She said, shrugging.

"'Parental instinct'? Please do tell me where the hell the off switch is?" I inquired, sounding somewhat sincere.

Lodge chuckled, "He's pretty funny for a 'silent, anti-social and troubled teen', Angela."

I shook my head and gestured at her coworker, "Why is exactly _he_ here?"

She slid an orange juice across the island toward me. I didn't touch it. She sighed and took a sip from her own glass. Then she spoke, "He's my backup I guess you could say." I glanced at Lodge who had crossed his arms and was now leaning back against the sink.

"You brought a flammable sack of undead as your backup against a pryokinetic?" I asked, lowering an eyebrow, confused as to where this was going.

"I know that you've been going to the Utilidor at night. And let me tell you,"

I started, "What do you,"

She continued as if I hadn't spoke, "that place was the hangout spot for some…unsavory characters years ago. And based on what Lodge told me,"

"Whoa, wait." I said, standing up straight. "You had him _follow_ me?"

Lodge brushed a hand through his hair, "She was worried about you, so you can't exactly blame her."

"I wasn't talking to you," I spat at him. I looked back at Mom, "What the hell is going on here?"

"Warren, that's what I'm trying to find out. Lodge said that you just go there and wander around for hours. Like you're looking for something, or someone. And not to mention, Concussion called me."

I stiffened.

"Yeah, he called and told me that you went to see your father…Warren, you didn't tell me."

I was quiet for a moment. I let her search my eyes, willing her to just let this go. Things were already hard as it was. I didn't need _more_ guilt or pain. But she wasn't going to drop it as it seemed.

"Yeah, I went to see him. What else did Concussion tell you? That he was afraid that I was gonna piss fire on them?" I asked.

Mom set her jaw, "Well, I'm sure you were treated a bit more roughly because of the circumstances you placed them in. I had to talk him down from coming to get you and question you."

"Question me?" I asked. _Great…they finished the translation…_

"He said you and…_him_ talked about Royal Pain."

There was another span of silence.

Then I sighed, "I don't know why you're questioning me about things that you already know I'm doing."

"_Warren_, Lodge told me he saw a little guy dressed up like a goblin,"

"I'd say he's more like the Keebler Elf." I said.

"You've met him?" Lodge asked.

"Yeah, he's a giggly little fuck." I said as a matter-of-factly.

"Years ago, that was Royal Pain's sidekick, Stitches. Just tell me what you've gotten yourself into, Warren, so I can help you," She said, imploringly, coming around the island toward me.

I shook my head, "There's nothing you can do to help _me_, Mom. Because if everyone suddenly knows about it, he'll mute his presence even more. He'll get even more discreet, and it'll be a lot harder for me to catch him. A _lot_ harder for me to keep whatever he's planning from happening. A lot harder for me to protect what I care ab…" I bit down on my tongue and replaced my words, "So please, just stay out of it…"

She touched my arm, "Warren, being a Hero doesn't mean you have to go it alone."

I grabbed her hand, "Mom, seriously…I _really_ wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't important. It's not that I don't need help. I _do_. It's just that I _can't_ have help. Just give me some time…please."

More silence…

Those tawny eyes bore deeply into me. And just as she was about to say something, Lodge cut in, "Angela."

We both looked over at him. His eyes were focused thoroughly on me. "Let him go…at least for now."

At that moment, I was grateful that Deadbreath was here.

Mom looked down at the floor and then sighed, "Alright, fine…I'll leave it be…for now…I'll give you a little more time. Just _promise_ me you'll tell me if you need me?"

I hesitated and then nodded, "Yes."

She pressed her lips together in a firm line and then sighed. "Well…cinnamon toast?" She went back around the island and took bread out of the cupboard. Her hands were a little shaky and I could tell just letting it go was hard for her. Forcing herself to go on casually was going to be a challenge. And I wondered how long this could hold out.

Lodge shook his head, "None for me. I'll see you at the station, Peace."

"Bye." She said, looking over her shoulder.

Her partner edged past me, paused and then said, "Keep your promise, will you?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, staring into those pale green eyes. He stared back just as wholly. Finally, I gave a small nod. He gave a smaller nod in return and replaced his sunglasses. I stared after him as he left. When I heard the front door close, I looked back at Mom.

From the angle of her gaze, she'd turned to watch the guy go. She smirked, and then looked over at me, "Am I too old to date?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Too old to da…The vam…oh for the love of…" I groaned, leaning my head back in exasperation. "I'm going to school now. _Bye_."

"Hey, wait for me in the car!"

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I smiled weakly at Gwen as a few people from the Snow Ball committee brought parts into my living room for the snow machine that she had to build at the last minute. She offered a grateful and slightly apologetic smile back for my willingness to comply with her needs.

She mouthed, "You okay?"

I gave her a reassuring nod, and leaned heavily against the living room doorway. That was another big fat lie. My whole body was sore and achy. I was a little hungry, but the thought of food made me feel sick. My limbs felt exceedingly weak and I was tired. And I was doing my _absolute_ best to keep my emotions in check. I never thought my mind capable of such depression. Gwen assured me that a little normalcy would help, but being around others just made it hurt more. Something made me think that this pain was unimaginable and no one here could ever understand.

I sighed quietly through my nose, _Maybe I'd just be better off dead…_

There were four Pennys in the room, all talking at once as they shuffled through papers and fliers. Gwen was hard pressed to keep her concentration on dismantling and rebuilding the parts she was being provided with.

"Where's the snow? We changed the name because we'd have snow!"

"Yeah, it can't be a Snow Ball without snow!"

"Penny, I'm trying to concentrate." Gwen said gently.

"We're gonna have to test it."

"I think Jeremy is bringing some snow."

"When is he getting here?"

"I don't _friggin'_ know! AH!"

"Penny, _chill_ out, you're all giving me a headache!" said a Senior girl I didn't know.

The Pennys clamored, and I wondered for a moment if they each had their own personalities and thoughts.

I turned from where I leaned against the doorway in the living room, hearing some knocks at the front door. And then someone was frantically ringing the bell. Quickly, I moved to open up the door. Just as I reached to touch the knob, it turned and in came three more people I didn't know. And right behind them was about half a dozen of my Mad Science classmates.

"Whoah, Ryan? Uh, hi Larry. I didn't know you guys…were on the committee." I said, closing the door as the stragglers made it inside.

The vertical-ascender was lugging in a heavy cooler with Larry who was thankfully not a ten ton rock at the moment. The others were hauling in bags of food in each hand. Ryan chuckled, "Can't have a meeting without snackage!"

Larry nodded, "Absolutely _no_ meeting without the proper snacking materials!"

"I uh, I guess not."

Time went by and more of the kids of Sky High poured into my house. It was aggravatingly hard to get to Gwen with the crowd. Someone had flipped on the stereo in the living room and was playing it considerably loud. Red dots danced through the house as Ray used his laser vision to light up my Mom's crystal paperweight. I had personally never been to a meeting for a Snow Ball committee, but I was pretty sure this wasn't how they went down.

Finally, I found Gwen in the backyard. She was standing beside what looked like her finished snow machine, biting her lip as she poured in a bag of fake snow. My schoolmates were standing around, cradling sodas, waiting for the big moment. I glanced into the pool and saw that about a dozen had made themselves at home in the water, and were laughingly splashing, playing chicken or a sorts of water ball.

Gwen pressed a few buttons and then the gathered crowd let out whoops and cheers as the machine dispensed the fake snow in even little flakes, gently covering my yard. For a second, I marveled at her creation. Amazing what you could build with odds and ends such as old iPods, parts from a lawnmower, a couple of unused remotes and a 1950s blender.

I lifted a hand and watched the light, fluffy snow land on my palm.

Snow wasn't a very common thing around Maxville. It maybe snowed three to four times in the prime of winter, which wasn't exactly upon us. Even if it was fake, the snow wasn't an unwelcome thing for me to see.

I looked up and saw Gwen twirling about in the falling snow, smiling widely. One of the Penny's clapped excitedly, grabbed her hands and twirled with the technopath. "I knew you could do it!"

_Gwen looks pretty in the snow…_I thought absently.

My stomach lurched within me, and I hurried back inside pushing aside people in my way, rushing to the bathroom just off the study. Thankfully, it was empty as I burst through the door and collapsed against the toilet. I hadn't really eaten anything during the day, so vomiting my stomach lining was not pleasant. Hot tears burned my eyes as I gripped the brim.

I flinched, heaving again when I heard the door open wider and then close behind me.

"Oh, Will." Gwen's voice sounded. I felt her soft hands gently brush back my hair and cup my forehead as I leaned over the toilet. I gagged, and coughed.

"It's okay." She reassured tenderly.

When my body was finished with its onslaught against me, I let out a sob.

"Shh, oh Will. Come on, here." I allowed her to prop me against the wall and give me a couple of tissues to wipe off my mouth. She went to the sink and filled one of the paper cups from the dispenser with water. After wiping off my mouth, I took the water and swished it around. Shaking my head as the toilet flushed, I let out a sob again. "I just want to die."

Gwen shook her head, and cupped my face, "Will, don't say that."

"Oh god, I do."

I hated how I sounded. It made me want to vomit again. I sounded so pathetic. I'd always sighed in boredom when things like this happened in movies. But a broken heart really _did_ hurt…and I wanted to take back all of the times I'd ever scoffed at it.

Gwen shook her head again, "No, no you don't. Because Warren is _here_."

It felt like something clicked its way down my vertebrae. And I looked wide-eyed at her, something like hope turning in my stomach…or was that nausea? "_What_? What do you mean he's _here_?"

Gwen brushed back my hair, "I talked to him in school today and I got him to agree to come here and talk with,"

The door burst open behind us and in came the music and laughter. "Ha! I know, you, whoa! Oh shit. Uh, sorry." It was Speed. He looked over his shoulder out the door, "_Muy occupado_, dude." He looked back at us and held up his hands, backing out, smirking at what the situation looked like.

"My bad, just continue where you guys left off! Just lookin' for a free bucket!"

He backed out and closed the door behind him.

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Of course, how are you gonna talk with him if your house is full of people? By the way, I did _not_ invite all of them. Being the smart ones they are, they probably all thought 'ooh big party at Will's house!'" She shook her head and sat back on her heels, combing her fingers through her hair to neaten it.

"Well, you could talk in my car I guess. Nope, wait, there are people in the front yard too…God…" She looked apologetically at me and took my hands, pulling me up. "We'll figure something out, go brush your teeth, okay? I'll go poke around."

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I stood alone, leaned against a tree across the street. A hand loosed itself from my pocket and reached to rub at my dry mouth as my teeth clenched together. Half of Sky High seemed to be flowing through the doors and windows of the Stronghold house. I could hardly think what to make of it.

From observance, I knew that outside of the bed sheets, usually Stronghold was anything but meek and mild. Usually he had a bright friendly smile on his face and from what little I had observed since his entry into Sky High, it wasn't too hard for him to make friends. It wasn't difficult for him to draw the attention in a room.

But for the past few days, he'd been so depressed that no such sufferer of melancholy would ever seem up to throwing a party at his house.

He still drew the attention to him in a room, but in a more pitiful way. The guy had wandered aimlessly between classes, staring at the floor with his glassy, weary, darkly-ringed eyes. His skin had a sickly shade to it and he constantly cradled a hand toward his stomach.

_And I caused it…_

I cracked my knuckles and pressed my head back into the bark of the tree. I hated to think that it was my fault. _A little sadness trade for safety isn't going to kill him…_

Stuffing my hands back in my pockets, I went back to observing the crowd. Studying faces for any signs of deception or guile, firmly focused on finding anything incriminating. But being so far away wasn't helping. I'd have to go inside to really be able to observe who socialized with him…and figure out who was the danger.

It had to be one of the kids in school that Royal Pain-in-the-Ass had replaced me with. Or someone close to him. But if I got too close, things could get ugly, whether it be between Stronghold or between Pain's supposed sidekicks.

It sucked to be a Hero…

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

Brushing my teeth while two people made out with one another in my upstairs bathroom was a little unnerving. At first I'd thought of asking for the small space, but in the midst of their tonguing I figured that they were doing little harm aside from making me slightly uncomfortable…and upsetting the soap dish.

I doubted if there had ever been a party like this in this house before. I couldn't believe how my classmate managed to crowd every corner, every wall, every open space and every room. There was even someone standing guard in front of the towel closet that mumbled, "Occupied" to anyone who passed.

Luckily people weren't breaking things…

The sound of a stack of books hitting the floor in my bedroom floated to my ears and I heaved a sigh. They really _were_ _every_where!

This place was gonna be a mess before the night was done…

"COWABUNGA-A-A-A-A-A!"

…And that sounded like someone riding in my Dad's giant suitcase down the stairs…

I didn't have room in my mind to wonder in awe that some of these disrespectful, messy idiots were actually going to be responsible for saving the world one day…

All my thoughts could focus on was the fact that he was _here_. He was _willingly_ going to speak with me. But how had Gwen done it? I didn't think I'd ever seen them talk at all. Hell, I'd never seen Warren Peace talk civilly with anyone at school. I eased down the stairs, willing everything that was currently wrong with my body to take five and leave me the hell alone.

Once I reached the first landing, I realized that I had no fucking clue what the hell I was going to say to him.

"Shit…" I mumbled. Then I ducked back, almost getting the sole of Ryan's sneaker to the face. "Whoah! Jeez. Ryan, come _on!_ You're getting cheese all over the walls!" I called up to him as he climbed upward, showing off to a couple of girls upstairs.

I heard a loud thud and looked into the living room where Larry had decided to sit his giant rock ass on the couch. "Larry, _dude_," I exclaimed, "do you really have to be a two ton rock _right_ now?!" I waved a hand, "Please power down, man."

The rock giant waved his giant mitts at me, trying to calm me down.

"Power down," I said again, my sneaker sliding through something wet. Soda or something spilled on the floor. _Great…_

"Heads up!"

I turned and threw up my arms as a Frisbee came flying toward me.

A striped arm stretched out and seized it from the air. I lowered my arms and shot a glare at Lash who nudged his hair to one side, shrugged at me, and smirked, "My bad."

_What the hell am I gonna do about my parents? _I wondered briefly, looking around at the mess. _But what about Warren…? _I reminded myself.

"Hey, Will, what's up?" came a familiar voice behind me.

I whipped around, "Magenta?!"

She nonchalantly raised an eyebrow at me. Her violet nails were tucked into her purple camo pants, and her skin showed a little under the small black jacket she wore over her tank top.

"What're you…what're you doing here?" I asked, nervously brushing back my hair.

She scoffed and glanced around her. "Well, Layla was too pansy to come over and see what the big choke was…something about 'not being invited' or something. I was feeling kinda nosy, so…" she lifted her shoulders slightly, "here I am."

"I uh…"

"I know you're a bit of a floater when it comes to social cliques, but I didn't think you'd fill your house with half of Sky High." She mused.

I looked to the floor, "I'm sorry."

She chuckled, a rare occurrence for her, so I looked back up at her. The smile seemed slightly condescending, but sort of light-hearted. "Why would you be sorry? For not inviting us? Dude, I know you didn't invite _anyone_ here. I can deduct that you didn't even expect there to be a party. I'm actually surprised that they haven't tied you in your boxers-not-briefs to a tree outside as a host prank."

I frowned, wondering how she knew my preference to boxers, and also feeling sheepish at the comment.

She dipped her chin down a little, trying to catch my eye. "Hey"

Looking back into her eyes was a little nerve-wracking. I was so used to that deep, thousand-eye stare. But I was a little shocked to see them almost…concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Her eyes locked gently into mine, and I found myself staring back.

In school, the guys had all noticed that something was wrong with me. Layla, Zack and Ethan had tried talking to me about it a couple of times. Magenta had stayed silent. But I felt like she knew exactly what was wrong…and her being her, I didn't think she could be so affectionate.

And I felt like I was looking into her impossibly dark eyes for the first time. They were a lot darker than Warren's eyes. But at the moment I felt like they glimmered slightly. Two black holes, but at the same time a comforting night sky. I'd had no clue that her eyes could portray so much. They told me things. Comforting things. They gave me room to speak as they silently said to me "It's okay." "You can tell me, but only if you want to." "There's no reason to be afraid."

A lot like Layla's green eyes would speak to me.

"You've been hanging around Layla a _lot_…" I murmured.

She smiled lightly, "I guess she's smoothing out my rough edges a little bit."

And I smiled a bit back, but was unable to hold it for long. It hurt to smile, my lips cracked a little and my tongue darted out to wet them before blood could well up.

"You know, I saw Warren Peace hanging around out,"

"Will!"

I jumped at both Magenta's statement and at Gwen as she enthusiastically moved over to us. Gwen hooked her arm in mine and held up a finger to Magenta, "Just stealing him for a little while!"

I glanced back over my shoulder as the pink-wrapped Senior dragged me away. I saw Magenta, whose lips were pressed firmly together and I saw her jaw clench. Her eyes lost that soft glimmer and became solid and indifferent again. She mouthed, "I don't like her."

I turned away, and followed Gwen out of the living room. "It's a little bit small, but I managed to clear out the pantry in the kitch…Oh well, nevermind."

Once in the kitchen, she paused as she saw the door to the pantry was closed. I grimaced, hoping that whoever was making use of the small room wasn't knocking down all of Mom's things…

Gwen groaned and let go of my arm. She gently rubbed under her eyes and threw her hands up, "I'm out of ideas. There is literally _no_ place to be alone in this house!"

But I knew that there _was_ one place left here that was completely silent and entirely untouched by the gathered students of Sky High.

There was a long pause between us, and vaguely I heard the sound of someone riding my dad's overlarge suitcase down the stairs again through the loud music and the constant laughter and chatter.

"COWABUNGA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-AAAH!"

"I…I know a place…"


	39. Chain-Smoking

**I actually finished this chapter about two weeks ago. But I have not had internet access in my home. I still don't...HOWEVER, today I decided to suck it up, and use the internet available at work! Eheh, imagine what that'll look like...But it's on my own personal laptop (which I'm also currently watching Tangled on) , so I think we'll be okay. **

**My darlings, I had to take my dog Lady and my cat Jazzmin to the vet for the first time, well first time for me at least. Jazzmin is NOT fond of being in a carrier. A deep scratch in my palm (Flower gleam and glow, hehe) confirms that. Lady, being a dog, is excited around her, because she's a little black fuzzy blob and she has no idea what she is...therefore she's gotta be in her face, whining and bothering her all the time. So the drive was a chore to endure...riding shotgun in a cat carrier, Jazzmin the old black cat is meowing in betrayal and protest...in the back, I've got Lady the big chested forever-a-puppy dog whining excitedly about the cat. **

**"SHUT UP AND STICK YOUR HEAD OUT THE FUCKING WINDOW, YOU POMPOUS!" was uttered many times during the drive. **

**They got their shots. One in the neck and one in the butt. Lady got two in the butt, which bled...and n****ail clipping? Good goddess...the vet and I were holding Lady and this fucking intern or nurse-whatever is cutting my dog to the quick every other time! Fuck! I could've done better at with kitchen scissors and my own bodyweight!**

**So I saw that Sky High was on Disney channel one day, and I thought about the actual movie. This stupid fan story has been going on for two years. An embarrassing thing to talk about to people who don't write fan fiction...I don't even think it should be called that just for the sake of the image the words make people see. When people hear "fan fiction" they immediately conjure up an image of some chubby young fangirl with slightly crooked teeth, no boyfriend or girlfriend sitting at her computer for hours and hours on end. SURE, that's sort of true sometimes, but peeps don't gotta say that! **

**I prefer Untold, Slightly Brand New Tales of Another's Perspective and Imaginings...USBNTAPI...Us Bnnn Tapi...Ipah Tnnn Bussssss...Okay I'm just gonna have to make up a word...**

**ANYWHO, I've been writing this so long, I feel like the original story of Sky High is something completely different. It's become unfamiliar to me. It's sort of sad really. One may say I don't get out much, and I suppose I don't...but you gotta have some way to entertain yourself when you work in a 10x8 ft steel box up the hill from a highway and down the hill from a dump that I can honestly say in the summertime smells worse than my brother's poo...**

**I suppose I should close the personal stuff with something positive so you my darling sicko army do not believe that all I do is complain...**

**At 5'8, and about 200 lbs, I wear a bikini in the summertime when it comes to swimming or just lazing about trying to forget the heat.**

**I****'m not fluffy like Gabriel Iglesias, but I'm not thin like Michael Cera either...**

******I like Gabriel more...he's funny. **

******I've got size 38DD titties, and a size 16 pair of jeans and what my masseuse friend calls "well-developed" legs that look hot in skinny jeans...I do love me legs, mate...awesome legs...I should marry my legs...SO MOVING ON, I'm a plump thing and I carry around what I like to refer to as my magical flotation tube just around my middle. It seems to be the only place fat molecules gather. I call my belly Agnes. If I blow really hard on my thumb, a giraffe head pops out of my belly button and hangs out with me when I swim. **

**I used to wear full bathing suits and basketball shorts, or trunks and a tankini top...but I realized that a bikini body is a body that can fit in a bikini, not just a cute little thing with ticklish little hips (mehehe, I do love me the ladies with ticklish little hips. Dudes with ticklish hips are nice too, but nobody giggles like girls do). **

**Don't be insecure with yourselves ladies. And dudes, you don't gotta wear a t-shirt when you swim either. **

**At times it's hard for me to be okay with my body, because I'm human in a twisted world. But I grew up in a small town as a chubby Goth chick with a lot of eyeliner, black clothes and a zombie cat on my back named Creepy-san...haha, I lost the ability to care what strangers or unfriendly peers with critical eyes think of me...Hell, who am I kidding, HAH! If my best friends think that we should split the last breadstick at Olive Garden I don't care what they think either! I'll just take the damn thing and eat it myself!****!**

**It's almost as good as watching them fight over the last spot in the bed when they sleep over...HAW HAW! Only da pwitty kitties get to cuddle widd Mawmaw!**

**And now, I will you to have a strong heart as you read on...so much feels...**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I couldn't stop the shaking in my hands. My mind was in a hazy whirl. What the hell was I supposed to say or do? I could never make Warren do anything he didn't want to do. I'd already tried speaking with him. What else could I say?

I never thought that it was possible to literally fall apart after a break up. Well, a sort of break up. But I was. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. And I'm pretty sure that my powers had faded…

When I had slid down Mom's pole into the Sanctum, I could barely hold on…forget lifting a truck or accidentally ripping a door off its hinges.

An exhausted sigh left me and I hung my head, leaning heavily onto the control counter. What could I do anymore…? My stupid, weak, selfish self…falling apart…completely dependent on the pyro.

But what if he needed me too? Why else would he let me touch him? Why else would he hesitate like that? Big, tough, solitary Warren Peace did _not_ hesitate.

_This is nuts…_

I heard someone slide down one of the poles and I turned.

His boots hit the cement floor and his large, gloved hands left Dad's pole. And he turned as well, but didn't look at me. He looked around with an interest I'd never seen in him. I'd never seen such a childlike curiosity in his eyes before. And after a short moment, he shook his head very slightly, as if righting himself.

He looked over at me finally. And it was like the first time I saw him all over again.

Just like that first time I had seen him glaring Hellfire at me in the cafeteria. His jaw was set firmly. His dark eyes were stony and unfeeling. It seemed almost unfamiliar given all of the expressions and human-ness I had experienced emanate from him. I felt like I was seeing him through someone else's eyes.

There was no visible hesitation or familiarity…and I felt hopeless.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

It was impossible not to be noticed. Even more so since I'd moved over to the fucking trashcans at the end of his driveway…of course that was after I'd tried leaving. I'd walked back to where I'd stashed my bike. Stood there staring at the Harley for maybe three minutes, and then walked back, mumbling to myself.

The partygoers were wary of me. Some whispered and others tried to ignore me. I'm sure they were wondering what the hell I was doing at my supposed arch nemesis house. Given all of the most likely creepy staring I was doing, most likely waiting for him to come out so I could knock the shit out of him in his own front yard.

I wasn't sure how long I stood there, toeing the ground, and nudging the cans. But my silent pondering was interrupted.

A girl in purple camo jeans and a black jacket hopped down the steps and strode towards me. The way she was adjusting her bandana and hair made her actions seem careless and casual. As if she weren't striding over to one of the largest causes of uneasiness in Sky High.

I stared down at her as she stopped in front of me. It was Stronghold's goth friend. I remembered the careless black eyes looking up at me when me and Stronghold had tangled in the cafeteria. But when she focused solely up at me, they seemed to soften slightly.

"Peace." She greeted.

I cocked an eyebrow down at her indifferently, "Goth chick." I knew her name. Maggie or Margaret or something like that. Stronghold had mentioned her a couple times when we'd talked. "Thousand-eyed stare" he'd said once. Now that I was close to her…I didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

"Charmed." Then she tucked her thumbs into her pockets and said, "I'd like to talk to you about Will for a second."

I cocked an eyebrow again. "Hardly figured _you'd_ be Stronghold's little confidant. I was thinking he'd tell Hippie first. She seems a more likely candidate."

She tilted her head slightly, unfazed.

_Oh…_there's_ the thousand-eyed stare…_

"Oh, he didn't tell anybody anything, unless you count Miss Pink and Perfect in there comforting him. But forget about her. I know you've got your own morals and scruples, and that's fine." She reached up and scratched idly at her nose, "You gotta look out for number one, exact revenge, pretend not to care, that tough guy smokescreen and stuff like that. And normally, I'm really not one to get into it with other people because I, like you, usually have a tendency to really not _care_ about other people's problems."

"Wow. This is the slowest second of my life."

"I'm sure it is. But see _now_…I'm faced with the problem of being human and actually feeling _obligated_ to care about my friends. And in doing so, I have to warn you…" She tapped her fingers against her pocket and then said grimly, "You hurt him too much this time."

I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and brushed back my hair. And with the most nonchalance I could manage I replied, "Oh please…if he's not in pain, he's not cumming."

There was a loud sound over the house, like a short screech of wind. I looked up and so did my current conversational companion.

And hell, down came the legendary Commander and Jetstream, descending behind the house with practiced ease, and a pissed off looking gait.

I looked back at her and she looked back at me. "Seriously, though, Warren. Give it some thought and make your choice quick. Because I don't think he'll hold out much longer before he breaks." Then she turned and walked away, up the neighboring house's walk. And before the sole of her boot reached the first cobblestone, the Sky High student body saw fit to come streaming out in a flustered mob; all fleeing from the wrath of Stronghold's pissed off parents.

And I decided that it was best for me to make an exit as well.

As I weaved between the rushing people, I ground my teeth. I never liked anyone telling me what to do. My life was proof of that. But I really didn't like it when people told me what to do when it came to Stronghold…

I knew that what I did was hurting him. But I'd meant for it to protect him. Now my distance wasn't even doing that. Pain was going to find a way into that house somehow. But he wasn't going to do it when the Commander and Jetstream were home. He wasn't that crazy.

My vigilance had to have done some good…but it probably didn't.

I had to face it, whatever choice I made, nothing got better…

I yanked my motorcycle out from its hiding spot. I was getting _real_ fucking sick of being out of control, and letting others control my life.

_I was fine before all of this bullshit started._

As I gunned the bike to life and strapped on my helmet I groaned in frustration. I couldn't fool myself into believing that things could ever go back to being the way they were. Not with all that's happened and not with all of the new things introduced to me. The new things that I liked. The sex. The feeling of being truly liked. The feeling of actually caring about someone else. The feeling of companionship from not just some occasional fuck like Lan used to be.

A real lover who was a friend…whom I couldn't help…because all this shit was falling apart.

_Fuck…shit…damn it…_

My frustration worsened its onslaught on me when Stronghold was nowhere to be found in school the next day.

* * *

And the next day…

* * *

Another no-show…

* * *

_For fuck's sake…_

* * *

I suppose frustration won the war it had pitted against my consciousness…

That was probably why I was sitting bare-assed in my bedroom at 11:52pm after work, chain-smoking out my window.

Sighing out smoke through my nostrils, I leaned back against the window frame and rubbed at my forehead. I ignored the body warming my bed as it shifted slightly, breath hitching quietly. I looked back out the window, staring out at the streetlight at the end of the road. Adjusting my foot on the windowsill in front of me, I took another drag off of my forth cigarette.

The thin plastic packaged was lying crumpled on the floor as I smoked each cigarette down to the filter. They weren't even a brand that I'd ever smoked before. But that didn't matter, for each one felt like heaven. I thought briefly about the young woman who'd given them to me as payment for saving her life.

I scoffed through my teeth and lifted the cig back to my lips.

The body amongst my sheets shifted again and let out a long, satisfied groan.

I turned my gaze back out the window as he rolled over, brushing back his green hair. Quietly, he let out a weak chuckle as he looked over at me. There was a long quiet moment before he spoke. "_You_, my friend…play _rough_."

Finally, I looked over at the dishwasher. "Yeah, I 'spose I do. Now get out."

"You got it." He chuckled, pushing himself gingerly up from the mattress. He slid out of my bed and to his knees onto the floor. Then he picked up his boxer briefs and slowly rose to his feet, wincing a little bit in pain.

I looked back out the window, pulling deeply on my cig. Being this relaxed was vaguely familiar, but I knew it was all fake. A lie from the fucking cigarettes. And yet, I couldn't stop as I crushed the stub, and took out another one.

As I placed it between my lips, Mosshead spoke again. "You do know you called me 'Stronghold'…and 'Will' again right?"

I took the cig from my lips and growled, "Didn't I say 'get out'?"

"I know, I know," He smiled, turning his shirt so it was no longer inside-out, "but normally if something like that happened in the throngs of a good fuck, the party representing me would be offended. _But_ I'm not." He smirked.

"I'm so fuckin' tickled to hear that." I grumbled, placing the cigarette in between my lips again. While cupping one hand so it seemed like I was holding a lighter, I flicked a flame between my fingers and lit up the cig.

"It just sucks that you're trying to get your mind off of someone else by fucking other people, just to prove you don't need that someone else. But then again, I guess that's what we, as dudes, do. Some girls too I suppose." He chuckled, pulling on his shirt that he retrieved from the end of the bed. "At least that's the way my ex-girlfriend Erika does it."

"Your voice irritates me." I mumbled, taking a long drag.

"I'm just sayin' Warren, maybe you should give this guy a chance. You talk about him enough." Zeke laughed at his own little joke. "I mean, sure, you don't seem like one for relationships, but still. Maybe it's a good thing. You didn't seem to be smoking when you were sort of _with_ him."

I rubbed at my eyes, "What do you want? A tearful revelation? _Get_ – out – _now_."

He laughed, "Getting to that. Soon as I find my jeans." He pointed around the room, turning ridiculously in place, "Can't be out and about at this time of night in my panties! Some mugger may steal my beloved skateboard and strip me of my virtue."

I snorted, but shoved the amusement down. "What virtue?"

"I resent that, Warren. I really, _really_ do." He said dramatically, toeing around for his jeans.

Leaning my head back against the window frame, I muttered, "They're over by the door."

"No they're n-oh wait, they are! Look at that!" He scooped them up from the floor and turned toward me with a smile, "Well, thankee muchly, Warren. I do hope that you would give my wise advice some thought…and welcome your boyfriend with arms wide open!"

I stiffened when he said 'boyfriend'.

He sighed and looked upward, "Ah, I love Creed. But I advise you do it, otherwise you'll become a miserable hermit! And your lover will be your right hand for the rest of your life." His sympathetic expression looked grim for me. Then he bowed, dipping low, but flinched and straightened up. "Good night!" He bid cheerfully, and let himself out of my bedroom.

I listened to his footsteps move down the stairs. At the bottom I heard him curse a bit while he yanked on his pants and sneakers. Then the door opened and closed. From my window, I overlooked the driveway and I saw him throw down his skateboard and roll away from my house. Before he reached the street he looked over his shoulder and blew me a kiss. I scowled down at him for that, and it only made him laugh and disappear into the night.

"See ya, Honeybuns!" his voice echoed. "And stop chainsmoking! You'll make yourself sick!"

I growled in disgust, and pulled on my cig in defiance. The guy was weird, and annoying. And yet, he was a likeable, snot-haired fuck. He had Bai Da sneaking him little cups of dofu fa. And apparently Shu had even granted him a dollar raise. We went through a lot of dishwashers at work. He'd lasted the longest, and he was getting good in the kitchen. He'd have a wave of dishes done, and then he'd be helping with food prep. A hard-working, likeable little bastard.

As I blew a smoke stream out into the night, I glanced around the dimness of my room. I grimaced at the condom on the floor, and placed my cigarette between my lips. I picked up the used latex and its wrapper, then tossed them in the trashcan in the bathroom. I leaned heavily on the doorframe and took the cig from my mouth, blowing smoke up at the ceiling.

_ "…what you feel towards the man who put your father in jail is not something that should be taken out on his innocent son…"_

_ "That is precisely why I am now talking to _you_. Because _you_ can. Because _you_…are already on the inside."_

I brushed back my hair as helpless aggravation pumped through my veins. Angry at myself and angry at people who sought to control me.

_ "Why are you doing this?"_

_ "Warren…I only want them to be from you."_

I sucked on my cigarette, thinking about how frail his arms had felt around didn't seem right. Even when he was in the midst of allowing himself to be dominated by me, not a single part of his body was flimsy. He usually was a rigid, solid little bundle. But when he'd wrapped his arms around me in that hallway, he'd felt small and weak.

"_You hurt him too much this time…"_

"…_I don't think he'll hold out much longer before he breaks…"_

"Shit." I choked out, crushing the cigarette in my hand. I flicked on the light and found my jeans. After nearly tripping as I yanked them on, I grabbed my shirt. It was inside-out but I didn't have time.

I pulled it on and ran from my room and down the stairs. At the bottom, I struggled into my boots and hurried out the door to the garage. I yanked up the overhead door, moving swiftly over to my bike. Once I had it turned around, I straddled it and started it. Frantically, I twisted the throttle and took a sharp turn out of the driveway, my boot scraping against the asphalt.

Fire licked at my shoulders, fluttering behind me in the wind like a cloak of feathers. I didn't know fear like this. This frantic, wild beating of my heart wasn't entirely familiar. I was genuinely scared. Terrified.

I'd been riding without a helmet and my jacket before, and I knew the cold nip of passing wind. This time I found the cold to be a bit stronger. Being a pyro, I couldn't entirely be bothered by it, but I was still aware of it. And this cold was fueled by my fears.

The times I couldn't stop myself from going by his house for the past couple of days had seemed normal. No one was going in, and no one was going out. Sometimes there were the two cars in the driveway, sometimes they were not. Nothing had seemed bad.

But that was just the outside view.

Things had been falling apart on the inside. And his goth chick friend had known it. She'd known it better than his parents, his best friends, his peers, and much better than me.

And I cursed my stupid, idiot self for not knowing what she meant earlier, and not realizing it myself. I may have been no psychic or clairvoyant, but I suppose I'd inherited a heightened empathic sense from Mom. And based on this ominous feeling falling heavy in my chest, something was wrong.

I twisted the throttle as far as I could, the motor roaring out in the dark of the night. The bike traveled the way I knew by heart. A heated shiver scuttled up my spine, fire licking at the back of my throat. My jaw clenched, biting down on the flames as I turned deeply into White Hills, my boot skidding across the street.

There was the house.

I screamed to a stop, letting my Harley lay against the sidewalk none too gently. I raced up the walkway, not pausing to think about the cars in the driveway. The lights were all off and darkness consumed each window. Except for a faint glow coming through _his_ window.

I twisted the doorknob frantically and the door opened for me. I pushed it closed behind me as I stepped inside, closing out the night.

"Breaking news happening right now in Seattle! The Commander and Jetstream have arrived to fight Bloodstorm! It is nearly impossible for our cameraman to,"

The television was on in the living room, a faint white light emanating from its wide doorway.

"Stronghold?" I called, hurrying into the room.

He wasn't here. The remote was on the floor beside the couch.

"Stronghold?" I called again, looking around.

I thought of the faint glow I'd seen in the upstairs window, and I quickly left the living room. The dreadful feeling in my chest grew heavier and the fire in my heart boiled in warning. I ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

At the top, I moved to his bedroom and pushed open the door. The room was empty. The sheets on his bed were in a state of disarray, spilled on the floor, and nearly removed from the mattress at a corner.

The bathroom door was open by the slightest crack, light spilling out from it. I heard a small sniffle and jumped over to the door, and shoved it open.

It hit the wall behind it with a crack. Light filled my eyes.

Stronghold was standing there, hands leaning heavily against the sink. He looked at me with shock, wide eyes. Darkness circled those blue orbs, reddened by weeks of tears. He wasn't wearing anything except for a pair of boxers. His bare skin seemed pale and sickly. His body was in a constant state of light quivering. He looked so weak and frail; it was as if he were hardly able to stand.

And there was an empty pill bottle in the sink…

Looking back to his eyes, I saw the complete dejection, and guilt.

I surged through the doorway, pushing him backward. He cried out in shock, and in pain when I firmly shoved him violently down to his knees. Vaguely, he struggled, noises of panic moving from his lips as I dragged him a short way across the floor by his arm and shoulder. Using his lack of strength against him, I bent him over the toilet, keeping his body trapped between my legs. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, and then jammed two fingers down his throat.


	40. You're So Stupid

**Oy, look at that. Two days before my month deadline! HAW!**

**And oh dear sweet Abraham Lincoln's pineapples, I spose it's probably time to update Rekindle...Sssssss, I didn't think it'd been THAT long...oh dear.**

**Still have no internet in my home, so I am forced to upload this at work...do NOT tell anybody! O_o**

**Rough morning, sniffle...forgot to make a lunch, forgot to take the steaks out of the freezer for me and my best friend Chelsea's lady date tonight, forgot to call in my prescription...woof...**

**And all these guys I work with say I don't got the stones to shave my head! The nerve! Chelsea's gonna have cancer one day and I'll have to shave my head anyway! I don't care, it's just hair! Ooh that rhymed TWICE!**

**I could shave my head any day of the week! FUCK YOU TRUCK DRIVERS, I'M RICHARD B. RIDDICK ON A STICK! Although it WOULD be cold...DOH, JUST SIGN THE DAMN TICKET AND GIVE ME BACK MY PEN!**

**Phew...anyways uh, hm, chapter opinion...bit mushy for my taste, but admittedly, I 'SPOSE I enjoyed writing it...sweetness overload I 'spose...that's probably from ordering all my favorite gay movies...I must have watched Big Eden like twelve times now...and I got it in the mail on Sunday...AGH, TOO MUCH VAGINAL ENERGY! TOO MUCH ROMANCE...**

**Nah, whatever. Here's the antidote to the pain I caused you for my notorious cliffhangers...**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

The sound of vomit splashing into water echoed loudly in my ears, joining Stronghold's gagging and heaving. My jaw clenched against the growl threatening to slip between my teeth. He whimpered and threw up again as my fingers jabbed at the back of his throat. His entire body was shaking as I held it firmly trapped between my knees.

His struggles grew so feeble that they faded altogether. When he no longer had anything left to fill his stomach, he dry heaved, sobbing weakly around my fingers.

For a moment, I couldn't move as I stared down at the back of his head. He hung limply, shuddering from my hand gripping his hair. My heart was beating wildly, making me pant quietly with exertion. A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed hard.

Finally, I made myself slip my fingers from his mouth and unleash his mussed hair. His sobbing became clearer, no longer choked. Gently, I cupped Stronghold's forehead and steadily pulled him away from the bowl. I backed up and gave him a gentle push so he slumped against the wall. Then I took a step back.

The image made my stomach churn.

Stronghold's face was flushed red from the abuse; almost a stark difference to his paled, sickly skin. His eyes were just as red, nearly closed as tears cascaded from them. His entire body trembled and shook from his crying. His fingers twitched every so often against the floor.

There was practically no strength in him whatsoever. He was weak, and he was broken…

_Where the hell did you get them?_

Anger welled up in me, fire boiling in my stomach. I seized the offending empty pill bottle from the sink. The label was ripped off. Remnants of it were torn and a bit sticky. A deep growl rumbled in my chest, "Who gave you these?"

His voice was quivering, torn and raspy when he tried to speak, "S-someone…left them a-after the…party."

I threw the fucking bottle viciously against the wall. Stronghold flinched in response as it clattered across the floor.

The pills he'd ingested were stark white amongst the vomit. I ground my teeth together and pushed angrily on the flusher, looking away as it all disappeared.

I strode the one step forward to him and sunk down to my knees. With my own hands shaking, I took him by the biceps and held him to my chest. Stronghold buried his face into my collarbone as I wrapped my arms firmly around him. He gripped the front of my inside-out shirt in shaky, weak hands.

His skin felt so cold…

I listened to his breathless, quivering sobs and I struggled not to let out any of my own. Sinking my face into his hair did nothing by hide the water brimming in my eyes.

"You're so stupid…" I whispered.

He pulled in a gasp when I tightened my arms around him, making sure he was still there. I could hardly believe how close it had been. What the fuck had he been thinking? How could this have happened? Why was he so weak?

Weakening powers of a Super wasn't entirely an unknown occurrence. It's happened several times throughout history to Heroes who were faced with a heinous amount of emotion and other large stresses. But how could it happen to _him_?

His name was Stronghold. He'd come from some of the strongest, most powerful Heroes in history from both sides of his family. How could someone so strong become so frail in body and mind? For such a powerful being, stresses should have increased his strength until he could barely control it. He couldn't have been thinking straight. He had to have lost his mind…

I folded him tighter into my embrace, and began to rub a soothing, warm trail up and down his trembling spine. He winced with a quiet whimper.

"Shhh," I comforted. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

_You did all this…because of me…_

"C'mon, c'mere." I whispered, rising and slipping an arm beneath his legs. A small sound escaped him as he looped his arms around my neck. He pressed his face into my shoulder as I held his body in my arms. His breath came shortly against my skin, still crying softly.

"It's okay, Will." I murmured into his ear, turning back to his bedroom.

I toed off my boots and pressed my knee into the mattress on his bed. He clung to me still as I laid him gently down, letting out another small sound, dreading the loss of my touch. "Easy, I'm right here." Carefully, I settled us into his bed, yanking the covers up from the floor and over us. He drew himself closer, laying across my chest, hands weakly clenching the front of my shirt.

"I'm sorry." He shuddered.

"No," I murmured, reaching up to tilt his head back to look at me.

"I don't even know what I was thinking. It just hurt so much, I,"

"Will, shut up," I whispered, "Oh god, shut up." I pressed his face back into my neck, drawing him in as much as I possibly could. "I don't want you to think about it. I don't want you to think about _anything_ I've said or done over the past couple of weeks. I'm the one who's sorry. My god, Will…promise me you'll never do this ever again…no matter what happens…don't _ever_ do something this stupid again!"

He flinched against me slightly, but breathed, "I promise."

"Good." I murmured, pressing my face into his hair. "Fuck, don't ever do this to yourself again…not because of me, not because of anyone or anything…_ever_…"

* * *

Sleep had to have befallen us.

I figured this when I awoke to a faint whimpering. My first instinct was to tighten my arms around Stronghold, thinking he was crying in his sleep, or having a bad dream. "Shhh, it's okay."

"No," Came a small cry. I realized that he was trying to pull away, out of my embrace.

"Will, what?"

"Too hot. Please, it's too hot."

_Shit, _his skin was slick with burning sweat. His body heat felt almost comforting to me. That couldn't be good since this sort of warmth that comforted me usually came from scalding hot water or fire.

I released him, "Sorry!"

Free, he backed quickly away from me, right off of the bed. He hit the floor with a grunt and I shoved myself from the sheets to kneel beside him. He was turning to lean back against the side of the bed. His blue eyes were bleary in the dimness of his bedroom. Sweat rolled heavily down his body and his bangs clung to his forehead.

I reached to brush them back, but hesitated, knowing the heat of my palm would be no comfort to him. "How can you be colder than ice one hour and hotter than Hell the next?" I asked, worried.

"I don't…know…" Stronghold answered weakly, shoving his bangs off of his forehead. His limbs were trembling, and his eyes couldn't focus.

"C'mon," I said, pulling him up into my arms, trying to hold him away from the heat of my chest as much as I possibly could.

"Warren, w-what, I can walk,"

I stepped into the bathroom, carefully avoiding hitting the doorway.

"Warren, oof," He grunted as I sat him on the counter.

Then I knelt down and turned on the cool water in the bathtub. A chuckle came from behind me. So I glanced over my shoulder and saw Stronghold combing back his hair with one hand and cupping his forehead with the other.

He was smiling, weakly, but still smiling. "Taking care of me…like I'm a little kid. A little baby Super Hero." I snorted, looking back at the tub, waiting to turn it off when it filled at least halfway.

Humor didn't hang onto me long because the loud sound of a thud had me whipping around.

"_Fuck_, Will," I scrambled over to him where he'd draped himself over the toilet, vomiting. I reached to hold his forehead, but I stopped, knowing that my hand was too hot. Seizing a washcloth, I dipped it into the cool water in the bathtub and cupped Stronghold's forehead with it across my palm. His gagging produced only rancid fluid on account of his stomach being cruelly empty.

Once his heaving passed, I leaned him against the wall once more.

Filling a paper cup with cool water from the sink, I pressed it to his lips so he could wash the taste from his mouth, feeling guilty that I hadn't done it before.

"Thank you…" He murmured afterward.

"You're not gonna thank me for this." I replied, scooping his overheated body into my arms and lowering him into the tub, boxers and all.

"Ah _fuck_, it's freezing!" He cried out, his blue eyes widening at me in a small sense of betrayal. He quickly wrapped his arms around his knees.

I turned off the water and shook my head, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. But your body temp needs to come down. How long have you been having these flashes?"

He instantly averted his gaze and I found myself doing the same, wishing I hadn't asked.

Had I really done this much damage to him?

But then I felt a touch on my shoulder. His hand was shaky and wet from the cold water, but it didn't bother me. I looked back to him and we both shared an apologetic stare. His fingers just barely moved back and forth, stroking my shoulder gently.

The silence stretched on for a few uncomfortable moments, the only sound was the wisp of his fingertips moving against my shirt. I couldn't think of anything to say. Stronghold didn't seem as if he could either. Instead, he let his actions speak for him at the moment.

Ever so slowly, his hand shifted so it rested on the side of my neck, thumb stroking under the hardness of my jaw.

I stared at him, shivering in the bathtub.

His lips parted to speak, but he stopped, continuing to stare back at me.

I was accustomed to being comfortable in silence. However, that silence was usually spent alone. Sure, the light antisocial qualities I possessed probably made that easier. I still didn't like being in a room with other people.

However, there was something different about Stronghold…I'd begun to admit it to myself over the past few weeks.

I liked it when his voice filled the silence.

It was hard to get along without him.

I liked it when he smiled.

It was hard not to beat myself up over what I'd done to deprive myself of him.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Come on out of there. You're cooled off enough." he said, clearing his throat.

"Oh god, _t-thank_ you." I said gratefully, my teeth chattering. Then I added trying to chase away the awkwardness, "I've got ice f-forming in my man-folds." I gripped the side of the tub to rise out of the water.

He chuckled, and took my arm to help me out onto the mat. It'd been a while since I'd heard that quiet deep tone, and seen the slight upturn of the side of his mouth. A long time since I saw his long, beautiful hair mussed a little from sleep.

He smelled like he always did, but his scent was a little stronger with heat and dried sweat. And there was a hint of Chinese food, so I knew he'd probably only been a few hours off of work. And then there was the faint smell of cigarettes, mostly burned away by the scent of fire. I hadn't smelled that on him in a long time…

Warren grabbed the towel hanging on the hook. "Take those off." he said, nodding to my soaked boxers.

That made me pause for a second.

It had also been a long while since I'd been uh…naked around him. I probably would've been blushing if I wasn't so cold, I figured.

But he did me a favor and paid strict attention to unfurling the towel.

So I did as he directed, and stripped off the wet cotton. Afterward, the pyro turned with the towel held out, and he helped dry me off.

I could feel the heat of his hands through the soft, thick rug of the towel. Sometimes his fingertips brushed my bare skin, making me lean into his touch and close my eyes. I felt him crouch and his quiet hands spread feeling down my legs as he gently rubbed them dry one by one.

His warmth was all I wanted to feel right then. Never mind that I was shivering from the penguin dip he'd just made me endure. It hadn't felt right to be so…to be consumed by…I couldn't describe it.

I'd woken up in a hot flash, and his burning embrace was too much.

I'd never known his body heat in that way. It had felt like a heatstroke almost strong enough to kill me with the high temperatures mixed together.

It felt so much better that his heat was a comfort again.

Relief pulsed through me as the pyro stood and wrapped the towel firmly around me.

And for a moment, we just stood there. His hands rubbed up and down against my covered arms, spreading his comforting warmth.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. His dark chocolate gaze joined mine. His hands slowed their movement, but did not stop, becoming tenderer. I wanted to feel more than just his gentle palms. I wanted so badly to touch him, to feel his soothing, warm skin.

Steadily, I closed my eyes again and pressed my forehead to his chest.

Without a smidge of hesitation, the pyro wrapped his arms around me. Still, his hands stroked up and down as he pressed me to his chest. His hot breath combed through my hair as he settled his cheek against the top of my head. My feet moved forward slightly to lessen the bend of my body.

I felt Warren tense a little when I slipped my fingers under the hem of his shirt. But his muscles quickly relaxed as my hands slipped around to caress the small of his back. His skin was so warm. I wanted to feel it. I wanted to curl up against him, to feel the heat of his bare skin chase away the chill.

The pyro allowed me to slowly pull his shirt up. He tugged it off of himself with practiced ease for me. He seemed perfectly content with the unspoken idea to share his naked body heat, even comforted by the feel of _my_ skin against his. He cupped my hands in his as I carefully pulled loose his jeans.

I swallowed as he reached up and gently pushed the towel down from my shoulders.

It pooled on the floor at our feet.

His fingers swept tenderly across my shoulders as I crouched down, following his jeans down to the floor to join my towel. I brushed my nose against his long, strong legs, hands caressing each flexing tendon.

_So warm…_

Slowly, I stood back up, letting his muscled arms curl around my waist. I touched his chest as he pulled me closer, and lifted me from the floor. I touched my forehead to the side of his neck, closing my eyes to inundate myself in his heat.

Warren carried me back into my bedroom. My legs hung down freely, bumping against his a little as he moved. My feet touched the floor beside my bed. I looked up into his eyes, further eased by the relaxed, smoldering embers in his dark eyes.

The pyro laid down into the sheets, holding a hand out, beckoning me downward.

I listened to the quiet rustling of pillows as I settled down beside him. He slipped an arm around me, and pulled me onto his chest. I nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder, just feeling. One palm rubbed circles into the small of my back, the other slid from my hip up to my bicep. Our legs tangled together, sharing heat. I brushed my cheek against his collarbone and settled my head down, listening to the fire pulse gently through his veins and the quiet of his warm breath.

Warren reached up and brushed his fingers back through my hair.

I looked up and met his stare.

His eyes were almost closed as he watched me. He combed his fingers through my hair again, and cradled the back of my head in his large palm. I glanced down at his still mouth. Full, stern and yet I remembered it being soft.

He ducked his head down, brushing his nose against mine. My eyes sunk closed as his lips gently pressed softly against either one. His forehead joined with mine and his breath touched my lips. I could almost taste the fire that licked the back of his throat. His palm shifted to cup my cheek.

And then he kissed me…lips moving against mine with the upmost gentleness and care.

No tongue. No teeth. No hunger.

It was like a post-sex kiss.

Serene, tired and tender.

A small sigh escaped me as he pulled away.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He gazed back down at me.

The only sound was our breathing.

The pyro's hand went back to smoothing back down my spine.

Peace…that's what it was. Complete and utter peace.

I tucked my head under his chin, shocked by the magnitude of the feeling and emotion. Comfortably overwhelmed in the warmth of his embrace, and a strong, passionate affection. I'd felt it curling its way through my chest a few times while with him and I only just barely began to understand it.

I wanted so badly to say it. But I was afraid to break the silence; this bond we were sharing. I bit my lip a little to keep myself quiet and closed my eyes. Silently, I emptied my head of all thoughts and only allowed myself to feel the soft heat of his skin, the warmth of his breath and the gentleness of his stroking hands. It was like I could almost breathe normally again, my lungs filling easily with oxygen with each breath.

Relaxed, and content, I sighed.

_I think…I love you…_


	41. In Front Of Everybody

**...I know no apology could make up for my severe tardiness...**

**Here's a brief explanation. College started up. I have a busy class schedule where I shove in time for the gym and occaisonally work hours with barely enough time to ever cross paths with my equally as busy father. And plus, I had the disease all writers and readers dread with such a fear that it can make them involuntarily and loudly break the wind in a crowded elevator...**

**...I had writer's block...I know, I'm ashamed, boohoo and all that jazz. But here is the result of my long awaited creative brain vomit. You have my permission, to laugh, squee, say "Oh shit" and squee some more. **

**Messagers, I will get to messages at my earliest convenience and devise a thrilling reply for each of you and do my best to work on any requests.**

**Boo yah.**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

A small groan in my throat woke me. I felt so relaxed and content. And I realized why when I finally registered the hand gently combing through and playing with my hair.

I took in a deep breath, and opened my eyes.

Morning light billowed through the windows of his bedroom.

And there was Stronghold, still looking kind of sickly, however much better rested than he'd looked last night.

"Sorry I woke you." He murmured, his blue eyes sleepy and serene.

I closed my eyes and sighed, content, "Mmm."

After a moment or two, I heard him chuckle. "Warren Peace likes it when someone plays with his hair."

I scoffed and nudged away his hand, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pissant."

"Bitch." came an unexpected retort.

I opened my eyes and cocked an amused eyebrow. He was resting his chin against his hands on my chest, smiling a little bit. Still at peace. A little amused, and completely unthreatened.

"'Bitch'? Getting a little brazen aren't you?" I asked, lazily hooking an arm around the back of his neck. "Well, I 'spose it's not too far off…especially in the morning."

He lowered his gaze, a finger softly stroking under my collarbone. He worried his lip a little bit, "I'm really glad that you're here…"

Studying his face, I slid my fingers into his hair tenderly. "Me too." I managed to mutter, embarrassment in my confession clear in my tone. But he smiled, knowing that it was no small thing for me to say something like that. Sure they were just words, but he knew more than others knew about me.

Others thought the only ability I had that was remarkably close to soliloquizing was hissing and spitting.

I suppose I was making progress.

"Kiss me."

It was quietly spoken. He was still smiling lightly as I threaded my fingers through his hair. It wasn't a demand exactly, but he looked like he knew I wouldn't refuse. Guess he was right, because I was leaning closer to his face.

He licked his lips and his eyes sunk closed. Gently, I eased him up, closer to me. And just at the lightest touch of our mouths, there was a loud call from downstairs.

"Will?! You awake?!"

His eyes snapped open and he pulled away a bit. "_Shit!_" He hissed, leaping from the bed.

I followed him out of the sheets, "_Fuck!_"

"Hey, Will?! You feeling any better, buddy?!"

It was his Dad, and his worried voice was getting closer as he climbed the stairs.

I struggled into my jeans, nearly tripping when Will scurried past me, pulling on his boxers. As I buttoned and zipped up, he shoved my shirt and my boots into my arms.

"Shit, shit, shit! What're we gonna-?"

"Quiet!" I hissed, throwing open his window and climbing out half-naked and barefoot.

"Warren?" Stronghold called exasperatedly, head poking out the window as I pressed up against the siding, out of view.

I shoved him back into his bedroom with a palm on his face, growling, "Get back in there! Unless you think it's a _wonderful_ time to introduce me to Daddy!" A second or two later, the mattress creaked as he leapt back onto it, sheets ruffling as he wriggled under them.

And just a few brief seconds after that, there was a knock on his door. "Will? Hey, you okay?"

"Hey…Dad."

The guy sounded believably tired, like he'd just woken up. A little yawn peppered into it. An excellent actor…or liar. Same thing I guess.

"You're looking a little better. How do ya feel?"

"I uh…Yeah, I feel better. I'll be down in a little bit."

"You think you're okay to go to school?" Stronghold Senior sounded hopeful. I wondered what the mornings had been like around here for the past four days.

"Yeah, why not? I'll be able to get my massive pile of late homework right before the weekend."

I figured he was about to leave, but no such luck. I heard the bed creak ever so slightly as his dad sat on the edge of it.

"You really do look better. Did you finally get some sleep last night?"

I tensed, eyes darting to the left when something else creaked.

_The hell? _

It was a tree…a fucking tree…growing quickly up over the rooftop…?

A quiet whistle sounded, and my eyes darted another way, fearing that I'd been seen.

And I had, but it was from the house across the street.

It was Hippie looking up at me, motioning frantically for me to grab a branch.

"Might be because you left the window open last night, Buddy. It did feel a little dry in here yesterday."

Fuck me, he was moving towards the window.

Desperate, I padded quietly across the shingles, stepped onto a limb and grabbed an overhanging branch with my shirt and boots in my grasp. I was swiftly brought down from view by the…magic tree...that was currently reversing the growing process and shrinking. When I got close enough, I jumped down into the grass.

"Warren!" came a loud whisper. It was the hippie from over the fence. "Over here! Come on!"

With no other choice, I went over and jumped the fence into the redhead's yard.

She smiled, "Hi!"

Pausing, I looked down at her like she was nuts. "'Hi'? Seriously?"

"You know, I could've just left you up there to get chased around half-naked." She snapped, turning away from me and moving around towards the front of her ivy-covered house. "C'mon, I took your bike off their front lawn when you woke me up last night."

"What?" I glanced over at the Stronghold property. Sure as shit, my bike wasn't lying across the sidewalk anymore. I'd completely forgotten about it amidst the heavy emotion that was being brewed in that room. I looked back to the flower girl and caught up to her.

"How'd you know it was me?"

She smiled over her shoulder at me, "Well, I didn't at first. Magenta clued me in a little, and told me that I should keep an eye on Will since he wasn't showing up at school for the past week."

I adjusted my clothes in my arms uncomfortably.

"But I guess everything turned out alright if you had to climb out of his window, you know, half-naked." She laughed. It was kind of an annoying sound. Usually other people's voices were just generally annoying, but this chick had just saved me from getting caught…like she said, _half-naked_ in Stronghold's bedroom.

"Why did you help me?" I asked.

She laughed again, leading me across the porch towards the equally as ivy-covered garage. "Because you're Will's boyfriend, and Will's my best friend! That's what friend's do, Warren. Help each other out. You might know that if you'd warm up your exterior and let others have a chance get to know you."

"'Boyfriend'? Get to know me? _You_ don't even know me!" I exclaimed. I was just putting my foot in my mouth now. _Oh hell, just shut up…_

"I know what you look like when you smile." She said, opening the door to the garage. "I know that you're a good listener. And I know what you look like when you're on the verge of getting busted." She giggled, leading me in.

There was my bike propped safely on the leg beside a few bicycles and two small, economically correct vehicles, both with some kind of dream catcher or assortment of feathers hanging from the rearviews. She walked over to a table covered in potted plants and herbs and moved a few. "You can put your stuff here while you're putting your shoes on."

"Uh…" I glanced down, "Thanks…thanks, Layla."

She smiled, tilting her head, "Hey, you remembered my name. You're welcome, Warren." She glanced at little solar-powered digital clock with a dancing flower on the windowsill, "You probably wanna hurry if you wanna catch the bus."

"Yeah…" I replied, yanking on my boots. As I slipped into my shirt, I spoke, "So, just you and Gothchick know?"

Hippie pressed her lips in a fine line and gave a nod, "As far as I know. You know, I'm not going to tell anyone if that's what you're worried about. If you wanted this to stay secret, that's entirely your business."

I nodded in response, "Yeah, I still recoil a little bit when someone calls us…uh…well you know."

"Boyfriends?" She laughed, "My, my, Warren Peace, I wouldn't have taken you as the shy, prudish type." And I glared back, "I'm not shy. In case you haven't noticed, I don't do so hot around people."

"An excuse that seems to be getting old. I know you work a job that requires you to be around a lot of people."

I shook my head, "Who's to say I don't hate my job? I'm just in it for the money."

She just smiled up at me, "Okay. But you're still standing here, talking to me when you could've taken your motorcycle and left about two and a half minutes ago."

Taken aback, I stared at the redhead, sort of glaring. I didn't like it. But that was just because I didn't wanna hear it. I didn't wanna hear the truth. But nevertheless, I averted my gaze and moved past her to my bike. As much as I hated being told what to do, I really hated being told how things are.

"He makes you want to try, doesn't he?"

I paused and looked over my shoulder, "Try what?"

She was still smiling, "Try things you've never tried before. Even if you don't know it. Things like talking to people in a civilized manner. Saying thank you for a favor. Feel things. I know what that's like. I used to be very shy. But Will sort of helped me out of it when we were little."

I shook my head, "What exactly are you trying to get out of me here? I'm starting to get tired of you and Gothpants always," but then I sighed. "Fine, you want some string of confessions about myself? Okay then, I'll give you some, I'll join the human race. As of last night, my non-smoking streak went down the drain. I've recently started letting my mom back into my life. I hate it when people mumble under their breath. I'm accepting help from an aggravating little hippie chick,"

With each word I'd gotten closer to her, and now I was talking directly down to her, "I've got feelings for your little friend over there, and I'd do anything just to see him, touch him, hear him or smell him…_damn_ I could use a cigarette…"

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

Layla was smiling at me when I caught up with her at the bus stop. I blew out a breath, and smirked, "Happy to see me?"

"Yeah. How are you?"

"I'm doing a lot better."

She laughed, "Good, because at this point I was beginning to think that you were just getting lazy. But that's not too far from the truth if you've decided to come back on a Friday."

Shrugging I replied, "I have gotten pretty far in Fable."

"I'm sure you have. So, that was a close call this morning, huh?"

"Yeah, it…wait, what?" I paused, whipping back around to look at her. "What did you say?"

Layla's mouth turned downward at the corners. And out came gushing her words, quickly and defensively, "Oh, Goddess, Will please don't freak out! Magenta kinda gave me a few hints about you. And last night I woke up when Warren's motorcycle came roaring up and I kinda put two and two together, so I went and took it off your front lawn so your parents wouldn't see it when they got home! Then I saw him climb out your window earlier, and I helped him down and we had a really nice conversation and he seemed okay with me knowing, and I really want you to be okay with it because I love you and I think it's wonderful and I,"

I took her wrists, "Layla, breathe!"

She nodded at me quickly, lifting her chin and drawing in a long gasp. I watched her carefully, breathing in and out with her.

At first I'd felt that familiar sense of panic. Afraid that someone had found out, that it would get out, and Warren would hate me for it because he wanted it secret. And he'd never involve himself with me again.

But she'd said "nice conversation" and "Warren" in the same sentence…that was unheard of…but Layla was a terrible liar.

"I'm sorry, you know me. I get all excited. And I don't want you to be mad at me. Because that one time when I asked you about getting home late, you got angry and I don't want you to be angry with me because,"

"Layla! You're doing it again! _Breathe_!"

How could I be so rational? Everything I knew had been turning right side up again, and just as quick they were turning upside-down!

She breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, pressing her palms together to do her "find the center" thing she sometimes did when her mom was really on a yoga kick.

She opened her eyes and looked at me. She was nervous. "Will, if it's because he's a boy, you know that menial things like gender don't bother me. Gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, it doesn't hurt anything. I'm a hippie remember? Peace, love, save the rainforest and all that?"

Looking to our feet, still trying to wrap my head around this, I murmured, "Yeah…"

I heard her sigh. A couple of cars went by and a cool breeze sifted through the street. With a shudder, I zipped my hoodie up further.

"Will? Are you mad?"

I licked my lips and pulled my gaze back up to her. "No, I…I'm sorry. I just didn't want anyone to know because I didn't think he wanted anyone to. And I didn't want him to leave."

"Well, that doesn't sound…very healthy." She said, looking downward, being honest and protective.

"I know…" I admitted, looking down too. "I'd do anything to keep him…anything to get him to stay." Glancing past her shoulder, I saw the school bus approaching. She looked back up at me, obviously hearing it coming.

She bit her lip, and then smiled weakly, "You know…he told me earlier that he'd do anything just to be with you."

My throat went dry and my face heated up, blushing just as the bus came to a stop. Ron Wilson, bus driver, called out, "Morning! Hey, Will! You're back!"

Layla touched my shoulder and nodded toward the bus, "Come on, we can talk later."

I shook my head, "Whoa, no, this is moving way too fast."

She laughed, pulling me toward the bus. Still weak, I had a hard time tugging out of her grip. But she loosened her hold for me, gently rubbing her thumb along my knuckles. "Then you gotta run to catch up. Let's go."

After a moment of uncertainty, I allowed the nature lover to lead me onto the school bus. Ron Wilson, bus driver, gave a hearty nod and welcoming grin. "Glad to see you back Will!"

Zack's reaction to my stepping onto the bus was one to remember. The awkward, neon giant stirred in his seat, caught between sitting and standing up. "Will!" The guy looked pretty damn happy to see me. Ethan wasn't too far below him on the excitement scale. Even Magenta looked up and smiled a bit! Well sort of. The side of her mouth quirked upward…sort of.

"You're alive, dude!" Zack exclaimed.

Couldn't help it…I laughed. "Yeah, man. I'm alive."

Ethan cut in, "You gave us reasonably doubt to that statement for a while. You haven't answered any texts or phone calls."

I slipped into the seat with Zack, taking the window seat. "Well excuse me if I've been kind of sick."

"It must've been serious if the sickness bypassed your invulnerability." Ethan frowned. "What was wrong? You look tired."

I shrugged, "Well, Ethan, I'm not my dad. My powers haven't exactly age or matured. I'm not as strong as him by a long shot. I'm not really invincible…not entirely anyways. But I'm feeling better. Things have kind of…" I glanced over at Magenta and then Layla. "They kind of fixed themselves."

"But how could it be that simple? There must have been a component that made you feel ill in the first place." Ethan continued, looking over the seat at me.

Zack shook his head, "That is so weak, man. Why're you analyzing him? Not like he was spying for the government or something."

Ethan looked down, a little guilty.

Then Zack paused and looked to me. He leaned in and murmured, "You weren't were you, Will?"

With a snort, I shook my head, "No, Zack. I wasn't spying for the government. I just kind of went through a Spider Man thing."

"You're a mutated arachnid dude?!" Zack exclaimed, jumping back.

"Of course! That makes more sense!" Ethan grabbed onto the seat. "And no Zack, he wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider. He suffered extreme, uncontrollable emotion, like depression or heartbreak that made his body vulnerable to illness."

I frowned, "Couldn't illness have been caused by bad emotions by themselves?"

Ethan shrugged, "Hard to say. There have been cases in which there were no medical reasons to explain the deaths of some people which led them to believe that the deceased expired from a broken heart."

Magenta straightened up a little bit, coiling her purple curls around her fingers. "This is very morbid conversation…I love it."

Layla shook her head, "Of course you would, Maj. Of course you would."

Zack touched my shoulder, "How come you have a broken heart, Will?"

I looked to Layla and Magenta. The Goth's eyes seemed to say "You're on your own. Good luck." Layla frowned back at me, shrugging, not sure what to say.

"It's complicated, Zack. I'm still kind of trying to figure that out." I finally replied.

The giant nodded back at me after a moment. "Okay. Alright. I can roll with that…" But he still stared pointedly at me. "You'll tell me when you got it down, right?"

I chuckled, "I'll try to, Zack."

This secret I shared with Warren was starting to feel like less and less of a secret. Four other people seemed to know about it now. Magenta, Layla, Penny and Gwen. And given that Penny was a bit of a gossip, I was surprised that I hadn't been hearing about it from other people.

But maybe it wasn't so bad that…

I reached up and rubbed at my eyes. This was all unfolding pretty fast. Maybe too fast. Months of secrecy, sneaking around. Shouldn't it take some time for it to be…not secret?

Dismissing myself from further conversation, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window. I sat quietly, listening to the bus move through the city and then careening into the sky.

* * *

I hadn't a clue that so many people would notice that I wasn't around. As I walked up the stairs with Layla, Magenta, Zack and Ethan, people were saying hi, briefly asking where the hell I've been, asking if I was okay.

"Popularity…it hurts my eyes." Magenta said dully as we entered the building.

I chuckled, "I'm not popular."

Layla nodded in agreement, "The values of popularity are based off of biased standards and are best abandoned in society. If humans stopped trying to best one another, and dominate the species, things might be less violent and more peaceful."

Ethan adjusted his glasses, "The probability that high school norms will change isn't very likely."

Layla sighed, "A Hippie can dream."

Magenta scoffed, "Maybe if more people listened to the Youngbloods."

Layla jumped, pointing at Maj, "If only you knew just how serious a statement you've just made. The Youngbloods sent a good, loving message. It birthed a lot of happiness and potential for peace."

"And a lot of pot." Zack added.

We guys laughed. Magenta snickered and Layla frowned then shrugged, "Okay, sure. Wound me."

We sort of went our separate ways to find our lockers before class. Zack's locker and my locker were in the same hall so we walked together. He caught me up on some maneuvers and catchphrases he'd been learning about in class while I gone. Also about a two whole failed attempts at asking Magenta on a date. He was still talking when he stopped at his locker on one side and I went to mine on the other side.

It was a little hard to hear him amongst the morning rush of students talking and running to classes and the slamming of lockers. But I let him keep talking. He needed to let it out.

I caught a textbook as it slipped out of my locker while I was rearranging. "Shit." I mumbled when another dropped to the floor. Being out for so long, I was a bit confused with trying to get back into the routine. I bent down and picked up the textbook and grunted when a notebook fell out and hit me on the top of my head.

Papers spilled on the floor and I sighed heavily. "Oh, that's great." I glanced up at my locker to make sure nothing else was gonna come tumbling out. Then I started gathering the papers back up.

A familiar pair of boots came to a stop in front of me. I froze. And then Warren crouched down. He reached down and gathered papers up right across from me. His dark chocolate eyes glanced up into mine. And he smirked.

"I don't think this is the first time I've seen you spilling your shit everywhere." He said.

I couldn't believe it. I glanced around, and saw that we were starting to gather the attention of everyone around us.

"Hey, don't look at them. Look at me." He chuckled.

I looked back to him quickly and then laughed in disbelief. "Well…my locker's had it out for me since day one."

"I'm sure it has." The pyro said, handing me the papers he'd gathered. They were ridiculously warm from his touch as I shoved them into one of the folder sleeves in the notebook. I followed him up as he stood. He frowned at the notebook and tapped on it with a finger, "That's why your shit is all over the place. You're an unorganized slob."

I chuckled and murmured so only he could hear, "If I'm going down for that one, I'm taking you and the state of your room with me."

He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Alright, I'll give you that one."

There was a short moment of silence, and I could feel eyes on us from every angle. I could even hear them whispering.

But his presence drowned them out.

I dared to delve into that. "So…this…talking in, uh school…is new. Usually it's a tender passing shove."

He glanced into my locker and then back at me, "Well, every twit in this school thinks that I don't give a shit about anything. So why not just let them keep on thinking that? Remind them that I don't care what they think?"

Warren smirked down at me as I blushed, smiling up at him.

But then his expression grew dull and stern. He leaned in, "But I'm not gonna fucking kiss you in front of people." Then he moved around me to walk away.

"Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of making sure people think you don't care what they think?" I called laughingly after him.

He turned, walking slowly backwards, "I haven't really ever been big on public displays of affection. It's disturbing. So…baby steps, Stronghold. Baby steps. Oh and check your notebook. Please put that in your phone." He turned back around and walked off, adjusting his canvas bag over his shoulder.

I quickly opened my notebook to the folder sleeve where I'd stuffed the papers. And in front, smaller than the other papers and a bit crinkled from my abuse was a small memo book sheet. And it had a phone number on it.

I stared after him, pressing my lips together as I smiled.

"Whoa…Will, dude…what the hell was that, man?"

I looked up at Zack as he quickly approached me as Warren disappeared into the crowd. He was flabbergasted, staring after the pyro and looking disbelievingly down at me.

I chuckled, "I guess…you could say that that was my heart mending."

It took a minute for the giant to get it. A bit longer than a minute actually. I let him stew on it as I got the right textbooks and notebooks for my first two classes. When I shut my locker and spun the lock, he still hadn't really gotten it. He followed beside me. He was quiet right up until we met up with Ethan, Magenta and Layla.

"Hey, I got a flier for that Snow Ball thing. It's got the date on it so now," Layla started, holding a powder blue piece of paper.

Zack interrupted her, "WAIT! Hold on!" We jumped, looking up at the giant.

He pointed back and forth, looking down the hallway where we'd come from. "You have…it was…and I just saw…with the notebook…and he was…_HIM_?!"

Magenta was eating a bat-shaped bagel and she paused whilst sucking cream cheese from the tip of her finger. "Aw! Zack's working things out all by himself!"

* * *

I walked inside from the porch and leaned back against the door as it closed. Leaning my head back against the hard wood, I heaved a long sigh.

There was noise in the kitchen.

Only Mom's car was in the driveway so I assumed it was her. "Hey, Mom?!"

"Kitchen!"

Dropping my bag on the mat, I left the foyer and slipped into the kitchen. She was there, stirring the contents of a crockpot. "Mmm, hot sausage vegetable soup with tortellini. I've been cooking this on low all day. I'll add the tortellini in a couple hours, so it'll be ready when your father gets home."

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

Mom glanced over her shoulder and put the cover back on the crockpot. "Winning me a trip to Hawaii at the office."

I leaned against the counter, fiddling with the handle on the silverware drawer. "Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?" She answered, focusing on lowering the temperature further on the crockpot.

I threaded my fingers together and pressed them over my mouth. It took a moment for me to speak again. And when I did, it was a quiet little "Can we talk?"

She froze at my tone and turned around quickly. Her eyebrows were way up above her glasses. Her humbly lipsticked mouth was hanging open a bit. "Uhh," the woman was shocked.

I frowned. Had talking to her become such a scarce thing around here?

She smoothed down her maroon cardigan against her skirt, nervously, "Um,"

Oh good god, it _had_.

"Mom?"

"Of course we can, sweetie." She finally said, catching up with herself.

In relief, I sighed, and leaned against the counter. Mom leaned against the counter across from me, "What's up, Will? Is something wrong?"

I bit my lip, smiling and shaking my head. "Well no, not really. I think…I think I wanna talk about who I've…been sort of seeing."

Aaaand she was stone cold shocked again. She stood up straight, her hair flying wildly around her face as she did. "Oh! Oh! Oh my god, you want to, the person, with the, oh my god,"

"_Mom_!" I snorted. "Please."

The woman sucked in a breath and fixed her hair, "Right, right. My bad, I can be calm, or is it chill?"

I laughed, "Sure, be chill Mom."

She smiled, trembling a little, trying to get herself under control. Exasperatedly, she leaned back down against the counter again, dropping her chin in her hand. "Okay, I put the brakes on the teenaged girl routine. I'm just excited."

I shook my head, "I had no idea."

She tilted her head, smiling, "What's her name?"

At that, I looked down at the counter, and folded my hands. Nervousness made me shake a little and my throat went dry. But I'd already gone in, had to finish what I started. So I licked my lips and swallowed, then looked back up at her. "Uh…his name is Warren."

Her head un-tilted, and her smile faded.

_Oh god… _

I did my best to keep her gaze. I didn't think Mom had a problem with the thought of two people of the same sex having a relationship. But still, my tensed muscles relaxed when she smiled. "Warren…hm. What's he like?"

She didn't even slip into the "Are you gay?" conversation like in all the movies or TV shows. The woman just kept going along with the conversation that I originally started.

Chuckling in relief, I replied, "He's uh…he's tall. Dark hair. He's a tough guy, but he's got this softer side to him that he doesn't let a lot of people see. And he's got dark brown eyes...sometimes I just look into them...and they're real warm, even tender sometimes when they look at me."

"Typical of your usual tough guy." Mom smirked, standing up and taking two glasses down from the cupboard. "Orange juice?"

"Uh…yeah." I said, surprisingly wanting her to ask me more. I was feeling…sort of giddy. I watched her take the orange juice from the fridge and pour two glasses.

"Is he the one me and your father accidentally caught you in the pool with?"

I blushed, "Uh…"

She smiled gently, "I'll take that as a yes. I had a thing for the long-haired boys when I was younger too. And I hate to bring this conversation up because I know it's embarrassing, but are you two practicing safely?"

I doubt my face could have gotten any redder. "We haven't really…been practicing lately. We kinda had a falling out recently, but we worked it out now." I said, being vague, avoiding answering the question directly.

Plus, when she'd asked I had instantly conjured up a memory of how incredibly good it felt when the intense heat of his…

Yeah, and I had to get my mind quickly out of there while I was around my mother.

"Oh sweetie, that's why you've been so run-down lately." She said, setting the glasses down on the counter. She frowned, and reached over to take my hand. "Will,"

I squeezed her hand, "It's okay, Mom. Really. I'm okay. I feel so much better now." It might've been better if I'd told her that I hadn't used a condom in months. Now she probably thought that Warren was a bad guy who didn't really care about me if he hurt me that much.

"He talked to me in the hall in front of everybody for the first time today. The only talking anyone's ever seen us do in public is during that fight in the cafeteria." I said laughingly, still hardly believing it myself.

Mom started, "Wait. This is _that_ Warren?"

_Shit._

"Warren _Peace_? _Will_?" She looked angry.

"Mom, please, he's not his father,"

Mom shook her head, "I don't give a crap about Baron Battle right now, William. I'm more worried about you. If I recall the conversation I had with your principle, the fight you two had nearly destroyed the cafeteria. Broke school property and set most of it on fire."

"_Mom_, you punched Dad in the face in tenth grade when you thought he was being too forceful when he was asking you out." I asserted, trying to get her to calm down and take a step back. See things from a higher standpoint.

It worked a little. Her teeth clacked together and she looked at me sternly. But she drew in a long breath and let it out slowly.

"I know it looks bad. But any animosity he had for me isn't there anymore. He's not projecting it on me. Sure, I don't think he's fond of Dad," I flattened my palms against the counter for good measure, "but he's not beating me up. And even if he was, powerful pyrokinetic or not, you know that with my powers I could turn him into a meatball in less than a six minute round."

Mom studied me carefully, through and then over her glasses. Then she shifted them off of her face and up onto her head, brushing and holding back her hair as she rubbed at her eyes gently. "Alright, Will. I'll admit that people can change…"

I nodded, "He has. He's different. Meet him. See for yourself if this psychological profile you had locked up in your head matches what you see."

She raised her eyebrows and put her glasses back down on her nose, "Whoa, whoa, you're at the 'Meet the Mother' stage? Hell no, you are not pregnant and you are most definitely not getting married!"

I laughed and she smiled. She was calmed down now.

"Well, when and if he is ready for it, I would be happy to meet him. I'll just have to make sure your father is out of the house that day." She said, handing me an orange juice and peaking into her crockpot.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're the best mom in the world?" I asked.

"I've heard it once or twice. But don't think that I'm fond of lying to your father, young man." She said, cocking a serious eyebrow over at me. "I won't do it forever, you know."

I grasped the glass in both hands and shook my head, "I know, but trust me, I am _really_ not ready to tell dad that I'm sort of in a relationship with a guy…who also happens to be the son of his archenemy."

Mom frowned sympathetically over at me and reached over to brush a hand through my hair. "I understand. It's a hard conversation for a boy to have with his father."

I stared across the counter at her for a little while and then I felt the need to make a clarification. "Mom, I still like girls, you know."

There was a pause.

"I just like guys too…well, right now all I can think about is Warren but that's a given…"

She smiled, "Will, you don't have to explain yourself. Just because you're fond of the opposite gender doesn't mean I love you any less or think lesser of you."

"That is so cheesy." I chuckled.

She raised her eyebrows, "I thought it was pretty original, since it was the _truth_!"

"So when's dinner?" I asked, placing my chin in my palm, shamelessly changing the subject and grinning across the counter at my mother.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I dropped a couple of hot pans onto the platform, "Shit's hot so don't get all grabby, dumbass."

Zeke glance over his shoulder, "Awww, you do care."

I shook my head and scratched at an eyebrow with my thumb as I went back to the stoves, "Yeah, you keep thinking that, Mosshead."

As his amused cackle rang out, I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. I fished it out and opened up the new text message.

_Hey, its will. When do you get out of work?_

I smirked and typed back a quick message

_Wont be out until 11 probably. Its friday night. But ill pick you up_

Then I shoved the device back in my pocket.

"Hey!" came an aggravated voice.

I glanced up and saw Lan shove her way into the kitchen, little waitress pad in hand.

"EEK! THE DRAGON LADY'S BACK!" Zeke cried, aiming his spray novel like a weapon in mock defense.

Lan squared her jaw and pointed firmly at the dishwasher. "If a single drop of water lands on me, I swear to god I will tear off your balls, stir fry them and make you eat them!"

Zeke grabbed his crotch, "No! Not my danglies!"

Lan growled in frustration and then looked to me, "Where the fuck is table eight's red pork and lo mein?!"

I shook my head at her, "Whoa, you can just calm down right now."

Bai Da cut in, "Mo Li came in here and said you were taking forever in the bathroom so she took the order out for you."

Lan clenched her teeth, "Well somebody could've told me that!"

Shu pushed open the door and made sure it was closed behind her. _"Why the hell are you screaming back here? You're scaring my customers! Get back to work!"_

Lan blew out a harsh breath and brushed her hair behind an ear before going around Shu and back out into the restaurant. Shu narrowed her eyes at us until we turned back to what we were doing. Then she picked up a few ready plates and left the kitchen.

As soon as the door shut Zeke said, "When Shu yells like that, it makes my butt cheeks squinch together."

Bai Da snorted and tossed his wok.

I took my kerchief from my back pocket and wiped the steam and grease from my forehead. My phone went off and I quickly looked at the response.

_Cant wait_

I chuckled and slipped my phone into my pocket again.

Subtly, I reached down and adjusted the front of my jeans a little bit. _I sure as hell can't…_

Then Mosshead cried out. "Ewww, Warren just itched his balls!"


	42. Until We Can't Anymore

**I've had the second half of this chapter in my phone for a while. Found myself frustrated in writing the first half...but it was well worth it I suppose even if it is ridiculously long...that's what she said.**

**Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it, and I hope that you're not all freezing your titties off or slaving said titties over a hot stove too hardcore today! **

**College and being in a professional production of In the Boom Boom Room (a horrid play with no real plot) has recently kept me busy and my free time is spent on homework and laziness...oh and I've been reading a lot of Necromonger tales, lots and lots of muscley male on male action of sorts...Yeah, hope there's some Riddick fans out there.**

**So I do apologize for the late entry, but I am sure that with counseling you'll come to forgive me!**

**Now, I go cut delicious pineapple for Thanksgiving party...enjoy, my ragamuffin sickos...and adieu!**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I was shrugging into my jacket when I pushed open the door from the kitchen to dining area. Shu was at the bar, doing the last bit on closing out the register. "_Night_."

She glanced over at me and waved, "_Maybe Monday, Lan will be in a better mood!_"

Zeke bent so we could see him through the small window from the kitchen, "I heard the Dragon Lady's name in there!"

I bent a little to catch his eye. "She said hopefully Lan'll be in a better mood."

He snorted and looked at Shu, "Maybe if you, me, Warren and my man Bai over here all combine our strength, we can pull the stick out of her ass!"

I heard the old cook laughed heartily from where he was near the back door, zipping up his coat.

Shu even laughed.

Smirking, I started back through the kitchen and called, "Alright, I'm outta here."

"I second that! Peace out, girl scout!"

Moss Head followed me outside, hopping down the steps with a little too much spring. He sighed loudly and reached up to stretch, groaning loudly. "Ahhhhh, I hate Friday nights!"

I scoffed, reaching down to the pocket of my jacket for my cigs. When I flipped open the box, there was only one left. Sighing, I took it out and placed it in between my lips.

Zeke put his hand heavily on my shoulder and tugged on my jacket, "Wa-aaarre-eeen! Dude, come on, the hell are you doing?"

"Yeah, piss off," I grumbled lifting my fist to light up.

He pushed my hand down away from my mouth.

I shoved him back away from me and glared down at him.

He scowled back up at me.

And it became a staring contest.

However after a good twenty seconds, he smirked with a scoff, "I'm sorry, I can't keep a straight face this long. Besides, I know you're not really all that mad at me. You secretly want someone to stop you from lighting that fucking thing."

"This isn't your problem, so butt out before I toss you in the dumpster." I growled, lifting my fist once more.

Thing time he grabbed my wrist, "Not exactly, but you invited me into your problems when you used my ass to try and get your mind off of someone you're head over heels for."

My jaw clenched tightly and I hissed, "Careful, Zeke."

"You failed miserably too. It takes the average male, who's not a pornstar mind you, about three minutes to cum. You were pounding on me for like half an hour, and you never did. Not one-"

My fist cut him off when it connected with the left side of his face.

And he was knocked back several feet, colliding with the dumpster after tumbling over the two trashcans and the recycling bin. They clattered against one another, empty cans and bottles spilling into the alley. He let out a cry at the blow, clutching at his eye.

I kicked aside a lid and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him back up onto his feet.

"You're gonna do your best to forget that you and I ever even _touched_, you understand me?!"

The door burst open.

"Hey! What's going on?!"

"_Warren! Let go of him!_"

"Answer me!"

Bai Da thrust a meaty hand between us and shoved himself in. "Cool off!"

"Wahhen! Go home!" Shu yelled in English, pointing a stern finger at my motorcycle.

Zeke kept his hand over his one eye, tears spilling from the other as he looked at me.

I huffed, brushing back my hair. Then I took a long breath, trying to show Bai Da and Shu that I was calm, or at least trying to be. "I'm sorry, Moss Head, but you pissed me off…don't do it again. Oh, and just so you know, he took me back."

He smiled lightly, and grimaced, lowering his hand and pressing it back to his eye again. "Glad to hear it, dude. Sorry that I kinda…uh…got in the way of your fist."

Shu growled, "_Warren, go home, _now_. Go_."

"Sorry Shu. It won't happen again," I said, turning purposefully to my bike.

"You damn right, it won't." The little woman said in English. Her jaw seemed like it was clenched and I knew she was pretty pissed at me. This was the second time in three years that I'd punched a dishwasher in the face. And this one we actually sort of liked.

Zeke chuckled, "Don't worry, Shu. I actually kinda deserved it. Don't fire him over it."

Shu snorted, "I'm not. He lucky this time."

I straddled my bike after strapping on my helmet. The machine roared to life under me and I looked back, "_So I'm still on for tomorrow night?_"

Shu sighed and waved her hand, "_Yes. Now get out of my face_."

Still seething, I rode into the street and set my jaw. Zeke had just been doing what he did best. Being brutally honest and having no qualms about it. He'd just made it clear that he'd known exactly why I'd brought him home. That he'd known that I'd gotten no gratification from the ordeal and had only ended up even more frustrated. The empty condom in the trash in my bedroom was proof enough of that.

He was doing that thing that I wasn't used to…trying to be my friend.

Yeah…not something I was entirely accustomed to. Friends never really lasted around me. They didn't even count, I don't think. Lan might've been the longest lasting sort-of-maybe-not-friend that I occasionally had been comfortable enough with to fuck a few times. But even so, she'd become insufferable. Especially lately.

_Fuck, what was her issue tonight?_ I vaguely wondered, signaling for my next turn.

And now there was Zeke: One of the liveliest human beings that I managed to bear for long periods of time. He wasn't completely all that bad. There was something about his annoying dominion that sort of made him tolerable…even likeable.

I actually felt kinda bad about hitting him. But then again, it'd made me feel _loads_ better. I felt guilty and angry for what I'd done with him too. _But that wasn't his fault,_ I managed to admit to myself. At that point he was just the unfortunate bystander who had, as he'd said, gotten in the way of my fist. Poor guy…was probably gonna have a black eye for two weeks.

White Hills came up on me in a familiar amount of time and I stopped in front of his dark house. Well, dark except for a light coming from his bedroom. A little nervous about being seen, I rolled my bike back a few yards, closer to the Hippie's house and then took off my helmet. I brushed back my hair and pulled out my phone.

_Im outside_

There was movement in his room a moment later and he looked out the window. It looked like he was brushing his teeth. He smiled when he saw me and disappeared quickly. The light turned off and for a couple minutes, things were quiet and still.

Then suddenly the front door to his house was opening, closing and then he came bounding excitedly down the sidewalk with a bag on his back. When he reached me, his hands slid into my hair and he kissed me. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I grasped the back of his neck, moving my lips back against his.

His tongue pressed eagerly against my lip. And when I opened my mouth, it massaged against mine. That is, until I saw it fit to wrestle it back into his mouth, tightening my hold on the back of his neck. His hands came to my shoulders and he weakly tried to press me back.

Pulling away, I frowned at his lack of strength. Brushing my fingers through his hair, I asked, "Not feeling better?"

His voice was a little shaky from the excitement, "Oh, um, I'm much better than I was. I just needed to get a hold of myself before I…jumped into your pants right here."

Chuckling, I pressed my forehead to his, "I wouldn't have let you get that far. I'm not big on public displays of affection, remember?"

He laughed quietly, eyes down, hands touching my face.

"So, what do you want to do tonight? Shoot some pool? Go back to my place?" I murmured, giving a little suggestion to my tone.

"Where would we play pool?" He asked, pulling away, and looking curiously at me.

I snorted, having thought he would eagerly choose the latter and practically leap onto my bike. "There's this place called _The_ _Gray Cue_. You can go there for a friendly game or play for stakes."

"How high are the stakes?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him, smirking, "Depends on the…agreed deal between the players…What do you know about pool?"

And that's when he laughed and grasped my chin, "Oh, I can shoot some pool, War."

"Oh, can you?" I replied, weaving my fingers together under his ass, pulling him to me.

"Oof. Yes. I happen to play frequently in my own home."

"Do you now?"

He was starting to look a little frustrated that I might not be joking and really wasn't taking him seriously. But he managed to drawl out, "Let's just say I can sink the eight ball into the corner pocket faster than you can undo the button on my jeans."

"Is that a challenge, you tease?" I smirked, tilting my head slightly.

"It might be…depends." He traced my lip with his tongue, "Which part of that did you take as a challenge?" He responded slyly.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

"Where've you been, kid? We've missed you since you kicked Elijah's little white ass all over the place!" a tall black guy exclaimed as we walked in.

I glanced at Warren as he gave a nod of acknowledgement to the laughing man but didn't otherwise respond. The man just smiled, not seeming to mind Warren's silence. He looked at me and offered me a nod, "Evening."

"Evening…" I replied, not sure what to do.

The place was smoky and kinda seedy. But then again, it fit Warren's profile for a place to hang out and pick up cash that came legally and fairly. Especially if what the guy who greeted us had said was true about a fight in the past.

"You come here a lot?" I asked, Warren casually as we took up residence near a wall, waiting for a pool table to free up.

He smirked down at me, "Not as of late, as that guy said…I think Ben was his name…I usually came here to pick up some extra cash and blow off a little steam. Used to play a game, and go smoke a couple cigarettes in the alley, then come in for another game again."

"I see you're a frequent resident. I think I see a guy using a cue with some burn marks on it." I pointed out quietly. There was indeed a pool cue with some slightly hand-shaped burn marks in sight.

He looked where I'd indicated and chuckled, "Yeah. Bad night for me. Lost about four hundred dollars that I'd won, and a hundred of what I'd brought with me. I used to come here after work to just avoid going home…"

I looked up at the pyro when he said that. "…You don't get along with your mom?"

He shrugged, pressing his lips together, "Well…not entirely. We just don't socialize. Her job, both Super and non, keeps her away from home most of the time. And since I've been getting older, she stays away longer. I can take care of myself, but I guess I kinda had abandonment issues. We're sort of starting to work things out now I guess. If you call her taking up acting like a parent again a solution…there's a table."

I looked over and saw two guys hanging up their pool cues. And I followed after him, a little disappointed that he'd cut the conversation short. It wasn't often that he opened up about his problems. And I intently listened each time he did, and asked question when I thought it was okay. Getting to know him more.

Warren picked up two cues as I leaned against the free table. When he turned back, he cocked an eyebrow over me. I glanced back over my shoulder at two smoking guys who were approaching.

"Dude, we had next game." The tall blonde one said, taking his cigarette from his lips and blowing a smoke stream upward.

"Looks like I'm the one holding the cues."

The other guy was shorter with brown hair, but clearly older than the other. Maybe nineteen or twenty. He stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray on the corner of the table and smiled, "Why don't we just play two on two? That way, we all play."

Warren gestured at me, "He's got a spoken reputation to back up."

The blonde looked up at the ceiling for a second then smiled calmly, looking back to Warren. "If he's got something to prove, you guys can play on opposite teams." Then he smiled gently down at me, "You can be on my side. Sound good?" I heard the pyro growl a little when he nudged me playfully.

I looked over at Warren and shrugged, smirking, "Sure, why not?"

Warren glared at the blonde, and I blushed a little bit. He was being territorial, like an animal.

"Alright, then." He gruffly said.

"Excellent." The older boy replied, holding his hand out, "My name's Jeff."

Surprisingly, the pyro took his hand and shook it, "Warren."

I glanced back at the blonde boy who nudged me again, "Antone."

"Will." I replied.

* * *

My hands shifted from around his waist, down to his thighs as we entered his neighborhood. His quad muscles tightened under my hands in response. His bike slowed as we made the turn to climb his driveway. My palms moved to his inner thighs, one set of fingers brushing over the crotch of his jeans. I felt his back tense where I leaned against him.

He brought the motorcycle to a complete stop in front of the door to the garage.

I moved to dismount, but one of his hot hands wrapped around mine, keeping it pressed against his groin. A shudder moved up my spine, and I closed my eyes, biting my lip.

The pyro firmly rubbed my palm across his hardening cock.

I vaguely heard the bike motor die down and shut off. And he moved my hand away from his groin, pulling me to get off from behind him. I lifted my chin, quickly undoing the strap to my helmet as he yanked up the garage door. I yanked the blue protection gear off my head, following him into the garage.

He kicked down the kickstand, and undid the strap to his helmet.

I set mine down on the table off to the side and looked at his face when it was revealed to me. Those dark eyes were fucking hungry. And I found myself slammed up against the edge of the table, his heated mouth attacking mine.

A small sound came from me, a little pain and a lot of pleasure. Warren's warm arms encircling me and his hot mouth claiming me was the source of that pleasure. The pain? Well that was just the result of me slamming pretty hard against the edge of the table. I didn't mind however. It'd been a damn long time since the pyro had last handled me roughly.

"You know, if I didn't know any better," I breathed quickly when he pulled back to tilt his head another way. "I'd…I'd think you…ah," His teeth latched onto the side of my neck, his tongue laving against my skin. "You were jealous."

He growled heartily against my throat, lifting me right up onto the table. At this current position, I immediately thought of that one time, _Oh that felt good_…that one time that he…in his kitchen…on the island…

His teeth dragged along my lower lip and then he growled, "What tipped you off?"

"It might've been the 'touch him one more time, and you will be severely injured' bit you shared with my new friend." I replied, clenching the shoulders of his leather jacket. He growled possessively and his heated fingers pulled the zipper down on my hoodie. They slid under the hem of my shirt, lifting it nearly up to my armpits as he caressed my ribs. A cool breeze slipped in through the open overhead door and wrapped around my waist.

A shiver went through me.

"Warren, mm, can, Warren," I started.

He twisted his fingers through my hair, slipping his tongue into my mouth.

"Warren," I breathed, taking a hold of his arms, "Warren it's cold, can we,"

"You're cold? Obviously I'm not close enough." He rumbled, leaning in to kiss my throat.

Finally, I managed to put a few inches of distance between us to look him in the eye. "_Warren_, let's go inside. Please?"

The pyro stared down at me for a second and then smiled gently, averting his gaze. He pulled me off of the table and onto my feet. His warm hand brushed back through my hair and he chuckled, "Sorry. I'm a little…eager."

I cocked an eyebrow up at him smugly, "'A little'?" Then I gestured toward the house. "C'mon."

And he followed me. Expressing opinions, making decisions, having conversations, joking, playing pool, and jealousy resulted from being touched a bit too frequently by a stranger? It was starting to seem like a real relationship alright. And I was sure that I was about to be reminded of another perk of this thing I had with Warren very, very soon.

The mere thought made me blush and shudder.

Keys clinked quietly as he fit one into the door to unlock it.

Then we were inside, and he was locking the door behind him. I bent to untie my shoes and jumped right back up when I felt a hot grasp on the seam of my jeans, just under my ass. He seemed innocently preoccupied with stepping out of his boots when I gave him an accusing look. I made quick work of my Converse this time and started up the stairs quietly.

His heated form was just behind me, stepping almost silently. I could almost feel his gaze on my ass. And I can't say that it was entirely unpleasant.

After reaching the top, I stepped to one side and pushed open his bedroom door. The room was cleaner than usual and smelled strongly of him.

I chuckled pointedly at the laundry basket of clean, folded clothes and the pile of bed clothes and naked pillows on the bare mattress. "Uh oh." I smirked, setting down my bag.

He groaned in frustration behind me, looking around his bedroom as he closed the door. "The woman must come in here maybe once a year…usually she has the decency to make the bed after she's torn it to shit since she can't work the washer properly."

"She can't,"

"This house has been flooded before. Enough said. She can fold clothes. That's about the extent of her washer and dryer talents. I don't think she made her own bed until she was twenty-six." He chuckled, walking over and emptying a couple of crumpled up receipts from his pockets into his empty garbage can. He paused and nudged the can with his foot before looking back at me.

I shrugged and said sardonically, "Well, I've been putting the sheets on my own bed for years. I'm sure that if we work together, we make it happen," I picked up the bed sheet as I did and tucked it around a corner of the mattress.

"But why make the bed when we're about to tear it up anyways?" He rumbled in my ear, slipping a hand around my waist as I got the bed covered.

I laughed, unfolding the sheet. "Well, that's a good point, but I prefer soft cotton under my ass rather than,"

"Who said _you_ weren't gonna be on top, riding my cock?"

I froze.

His hot hands slid under my hoodie and pushed it from my shoulders. The pyro's heated palms moved across my chest, drawing a tiny shiver of delight from me, as I leaned back against him.

_It's been too damn long… _

His fingers curled around the hem of my shirt and slowly divested me of it. As my arms came back down, his warm mouth attached itself to the side of my neck, nipping the skin there. A moan escaped me when his teeth grazed down along my nape to my shoulder. I shuddered, biting at my lip, laying my palms over the back of Warren's hands as they smoothed up and down my chest.

I tossed the sheet onto the bed and whipped around. I seized him by the back of the head and neck, crushing my lips up against his. And the pyro's reaction screamed enthusiasm. His tongue slipped into my mouth and battled with mine, while his hands clenched my hips. The next thing I know, I'm being backed up against the bed.

He slipped out of my grip easier than I had intended. I still wasn't strong. But I was getting there at least. I sat up, leaning on my elbows, and watched him take off his leather jacket and then whip off his shirt. And I found myself almost salivating when he undid his belt and unbuttoned his jeans.

"You better start following my example before I singe those pants off of you." He growled, slowing his process.

Oh, I couldn't do his bidding faster. My jeans were on the floor. He helped me lose my boxers, tossing them over his shoulder. My reward was absolutely splendid. After a couple of pillows hit the bed, Warren joined me, and covered me with his naked, heated body. It was a vaguely familiar feeling that I was reminded of in a hurry. A loud cry left me when he ground down against me. Fucking _god_, his cock was, temperature-wise, the hottest part of him. And it felt fucking _good_.

Warren groaned, leaning down to kiss me thoroughly.

I sucked on his tongue, brushing my fingers back through his long hair. He pulled away, looking tenderly down at me before he caught my lip between his teeth.

At this point, I knew what all this was going to lead up to. And I wanted something that I hadn't gotten in a _long_ while.

"Burn me." I breathed against his mouth.

"Baby, I can't,"

I cut him off, "Please. Do it," and took his hand to place it flat against my chest.

But Warren shook his head, tugging at his hand trapped in my encircling fingers. "You're not strong enough to take it right now."

"Yea I am," I shuddered, kissing him. "_Please_."

I sounded pitiful, and even I knew it. But I wanted so badly to feel the intense burn of his fiery palms. I hadn't felt it in _so_ long. I hadn't changed in the time we'd been apart. I was still a masochist and because of Warren, I wasn't ashamed of it anymore.

But he shook his head again, soothingly caressing my chest with his trapped hand. "There's a huge difference between hurting you and injuring you, Stronghold. I can't,"

I moaned in disappointment and he leaned down to kiss me again. A whimper dragged itself up my throat when he tangled his tongue around mine. His free hand slid up and stroked the side of my face.

"Believe me," he murmured huskily, "god, I want to." He trailed his lips up my jaw and breathed into my ear, "I want to hear the noises you make for me so much." His whispered words made me shudder. His fist clenched in my hair and roughly pulled my head back, driving a groan from me.

"To hear you scream for me," he dragged his lips across my exposed neck, "but I can't this time. You aren't strong enough yet."

I gathered air in my chest to let out another pitiful please but he hushed me with his fingertips on my lips, letting go of my hair. "Shhh, this can still be really fucking goo-"

His body seized and he hung his head with a gasp and a long moan when I sucked his fingers into my mouth.

_My, my…I'm such a deviant tonight!_

His other hand yanked free and slid back into my hair, gripping it and painfully yanked my head back again. But I grasped his wrist, pulling him with me.

A throaty groan rumbled from him when my tongue curled around his fingertips. And a breathy cry came out when I sucked hard on them, lighting up all the sensitive nerves. I felt his hot breath against my collarbone as he panted shortly. "Fuck, Stronghold. Stop or I'm gonna cum!"

Hesitantly, I released his fingers, licking my lips as he stared down at me, panting.

"You little…" he started, and then swallowed, trying to catch his lost breath, "Pissant."

I smirked up at him and leaned up to mouth at his neck, hands moving down his heated skin. "I want it." I said, rising and shoving him off of me. I captured his wrists and laid down on top of the pyro, pressing him firmly into the mattress. His eyes were wary as he stared up at me. I may not have gained back all of my strength, but at that moment I still had enough of it to wrestle Warren to the sheets.

He tugged experimentally at my bonding hands, but I didn't let go. This was the first time I'd ever used my strength against him like this, and it shocked him…me as well. And for a moment, I feared I'd made a grave mistake as I watched fire creep into his eyes.

I started to relinquish my grip, about to shy away. But suddenly his mouth crushed up against mine, teeth latching onto my lip. A shudder moved throughout me at his response.

He pulled off my mouth with a groan and bucked up against me. My head dropped onto his shoulder, the friction between us was almost unbearable and hot. His cock was fully erect, digging into my pelvis. He thrust up again, rubbing himself against my own erection.

A gasp leapt from my lips, my limbs beginning to shake. He pressed against my hands more earnestly than before, freeing himself of my loosened, quaking grip.

My breath left me in a grunt when he pinned me beneath him. His tongue dipped into the hollow at the base of my throat and traced my collarbone. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Warren's heated lips kissed their way to the middle of my chest, and his tongue lapped at a nipple. I pressed my lips together, whimpering at the sensation.

Down his tongue traveled, moving along the tensed muscles in my stomach.

Tenderly, he nibbled at my navel, and wetly kissed the skin below it. His warm hands slipped under my legs and caressed just the inside of my thighs as he looked up at me. Hell, the pyro's hot breath was dancing over my erection tantalizingly.

I swallowed, thighs tensing in pleasure at his heated touch and breath. I wanted his hands to flare with fire, even just a little bit. I wanted so much for that wonderful burn to cover the sensitive places that Warren knew just how to caress.

The pyro's scorching tongue flicked out to touch the head of my cock. A cry jumped from me, making me grip the bunched up sheets. His warm lips encircled me and his head moved down slowly. His tongue moved over me thoroughly. Warren then lightly grazed his teeth against the head, before taking me deeply into his mouth.

I pressed my hands to my face deliriously, "War…oh god,"

He pulled off my cock with a vulgar pop and smirked up at me. Then he crawled back up to kiss me. I went to wrap my hands around his shoulders, but he pulled away a bit too swift for my pleasure-delirious head to follow. Then the pyro flipped me over onto my stomach, pressing my firmly into the bed.

I gasped, twitching as his tongue started at the back of my neck and moved down between my shoulder blades. Then his tongue was lapping at the small of my back. I let out a sigh as he gently lifted my hips. But then his tongue trailed further down.

This made my entire body jerk, my hands balling into fist under my chin. I choked out a whimper, the heat of his tongue wriggling into me, wetly touching sensitive nerves. His hot breath shared the space, tensing my muscles. Goosebumps spread over my flesh, and I cried out, biting down on my lip.

He sucked on the sensitive skin, bathing me in heat that stampeded up my spine. No matter how much I wriggled, the pyro held onto me and continued his pleasurable torture. Writhing, I pressed my face into the pillows, trying to stifle my whimpers and cries.

I shuddered out a sigh of relief when he let up. His tongue trailed its way back up my spine. His weight shifted and he reached up and off to one side. I heard a drawer open, then a click, like a cap snapping open of something. Turning out of the pillow, I breathed, "What's that?"

Warren leaned down and mouthed at the base of my neck. "Lube. This'll mae it so much better. I promise."

Still breathless, I let out a laugh, "You're not giving yourself…_nearly_ enough credit."

The moment that last word was out of my mouth, I jerked again, feeling a finger sliding into me. I cried out. The slide was so slick, and very, very hot.

"Better than spit, eh? Usually, it's pretty cold at first. But it heats up quick for me." He spoke against my ear, his body for the most part pinning me to the bed. In turn, that stilled most of my delirious squirming and pleasured writhing.

I felt the tip of his finger rub slickly back and forth over the tender spot inside of me. And fuck, I keened, bucking against his hand. My breath caught up inside of me when another digit joined the first one. I gripped a pillow in my fists, my cries stifling as I bit into it.

The pyro chuckled warmly into my ear and worried the skin right beneath is, "I'm sorry I didn't invest sooner. Fuck, I've missed the sounds you make."

I reached over my shoulder and cupped the back of his neck, "I'll just bet…oh god…that you have-uhh!"

He kissed me over my shoulder when I pulled him closer, sucking warmly on my top lip. I gasped right against his mouth when a third finger slid almost gracefully into me. My teeth latched onto and dragged off of his lower lip. Warren groaned, giving a little more thrust to his preparation.

Then he rubbed against that sensitive spot in me. My muscles tensed harder, my limbs stiffening and my spine arching. Loud prolonging groans ground out from between my teeth. The gathered air in my chest thinned out, and became cold. I reached down between me and the sheets, and grabbed firmly at the base, trying to sop myself from coming.

Lot of good that fucking did me.

With what little breath I had, I yelled out, struggling as his fingers continued their onslaught.

Warren shoved his other hand under me, nudging my fist away and working my erection as I came. The pyro's skin was so unbelievably hot. He murmured encouragement into my ear, drawing out my completion. Tenderly, he mouthed at the nape of my neck and eased his fingers out of me.

Amongst the panting, I shuddered at the removal, my body nothing but sensation.

"Lube. That's all it took for you to turn into a pillow biter." He chuckled, sucking gently on the skin under my jaw.

"It's…it feels like…when you cum." I breathed.

"Mm?" He leaned back and I heard the cap on the bottle open up again. And excited shiver moved up my spine.

"It's really hot…slippery…" I continued, filling in the silence. Then there was a slick, repetitive sound. I turned around a bit under him, looking up at him. The pyro's eyes were warm, tender and soft. And when I glanced down…he was slicking himself up.

Then Warren leaned down and kissed me, slowly and gently. "C'mere, baby." He breathed against my lips. One arm hooked around my chest and lifted me up.

He held me up, my back against his chest, dragging me up to my knees.

_Oh fuck. _

I flinched, and cried out. The lube made him slide right into me with the barest of two small thrusts. His hot breath warmed my neck, his tongue laved at my nape, dampening my skin.

Then Warren groaned, beginning a rhythm of long, deep, scorching hot thrusts. He growled against my ear, wrapping his arms firmly around my chest. The pyro sunk back onto his heels, drawing me right down into his lap. My body jerked in pleasured protest, a gasp and a whimper seizing my throat. I grasped at his wrists, a moan vibrating in my throat as I clamped my mouth shut.

His teeth latched onto my neck, and the bite stung. His breath was so hot, his teeth nearly sunk the heat into my flesh. I wriggled, shoving my hips down on his.

The pyro groaned loudly, teeth lifting from my neck. I joined his movements, swaying back and forth. Bringing myself up and driving myself firmly down onto him. And the rewards were relishing as Warren groaned and panted into my ear, giving more heat and strength to his body's movements.

"Mmmh!" My abs clenched tightly as his cock rubbed firmly up against the sweet spot.

"Will," he breathed. Hot hands slipped down and grasped my hips. The pyro lifted me up, right off of him, and I grunted at his exit, "Ah, War…please,"

He pushed me down onto the sheets, "Shh, roll over baby, c'mon."

Swiftly, I turned over onto my back, shivering with delight as he leaned down and ravaged my mouth with his tongue. The stubble on his face burned my lips a little bit. And his hands slide down the underside of my thighs and lifted my legs up around his waist.

Warren pulled away, his dark chocolate eyes staring hungrily down at me. The guy looked like he could devour me alive…sexually at least. And then he was right back in, my insides swallowing his length whole.

He reached down between us and slipped his fingers around my cock that stood right up and drooled for him. I clutched at his back, shakily staring up at him. A growl rumbled in his throat and he stroked me. His hips rolled neatly, thrusting himself deep into me.

"Ah, ah, ahh, I'm gonna," I started. Each breath brought a series of moans from me as he thrust firmly into me.

Warren chuckled breathlessly, "Well, I'm flattered." His hand quickened its stroking, his wrist jerking. And he gave a few harder, deeper-seated thrusts into me, purposefully making me lose control.

Gathering moans gave way to whimpering, airy cries. My head tilted back against the pillows and a broken shout ripped its way out of my throat when things got a whole lot hotter inside of me. A strangled groan ground its way out from between his teeth. And I was coming…again.

But this time, so was he.

The heat consumed me from the inside out and a scream caught up in my chest because it hurt. And, oh my god, it felt so damn good!

_Finally! _

I pulled in a gasp, trying to get proper air as the cloudiness before my eyes slowly started to clear. My muscles relaxed, my bones feeling my liquid.

Warren was rubbing my fluid gently into my skin. Tenderly he smiled down at me before he leaned down and kissed me.

Satisfied, I sighed, lazily kissing him back. Weakly, I lifted a hand up to tiredly touch his face. But I grunted in surprise when he gave a hard thrust. He hadn't even gone soft, despite orgasming. I broke the kiss, gasping and grabbing his shoulder. I looked up at him in shock. And he thrust again, forcing my mouth to drop open and eyes to widen.

Again.

"Roll over again for me, Will." He murmured against my mouth, hands taking hold of my hips and turning me. I grunted when he pressed me, stomach-first, into the mattress. I heard the cap click on the lube and that slick, repetitive sound again.

I groaned when he slipped back into me. I cried out when he roughly brushed himself against the sensitive nerve in me. It was even more sensitive due to the fact that it had been pleasurably tortured quite a few times already. I turned my head, resting my cheek against the warm blankets, moaning and crying out repeatedly.

"How…many times…are we gonna, AH!" My spine bent beneath him, my toes curling as he looped his warm hand slickly around my prick, already hard again.

"Until we can't anymore." The pyro breathlessly replied against my shoulder blade.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I woke up a couple of times to roll over into a fresh sleeping position. I was pleasantly exhausted, easily going right back to sleep. But when I rolled over the third time, I bumped up against a body.

And I quickly recollected the night before.

"_Ah! Oh my…fuck…Warren! Warren!" _I remembered.

Smiling sleepily, I wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer to me. Stronghold didn't even stir from his deep sleep, other than lick his lips and sigh. His hair was mussed from sleep and our activities the previous night. There were a few bruises on his shoulders where I'd bitten and sucked on his skin. Poor guy was just completely out.

Couldn't blame him. I'd made him cum over and over and over…until he'd gone nearly pleasure-mad and passed out.

I breathed in deeply at the nape of his neck, taking in our two scents combined, the bonding agent being sex, sec and more sex. Satisfied with him held close now, I went back to sleep.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

Awareness was a slow thing to take over me at that moment. I must have been sleeping deeper than I'd ever slept before. So it took several moments to feel the lips mouthing tenderly at the nape of my neck.

I drew in a long breath and let out a groggy sigh, opening my eyes a little. I could feel the pyro's warm palm settled right against my bare stomach, pressing me against him. His breathing was slow and relaxed, entirely content. I closed my eyes again, smiling sleepily.

But then his hand slipped down and wrapped around my cock, a thumb lazily moving over the head.

My back arched immediately and I grunted, crying out as my body jerked. Air came frantically into my chest and I dizzily breathed, "Oh god, please, Warren, if I cum one more time I think I'll die."

He stopped his hand and quit kissing my shoulder. He held me tighter against him. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, concern laced through his tone.

I shook my head, touching his forearm reassuringly, "Not in that kind of way, no. I just can't take any more of your torture." I added with a small laugh.

He chuckled into my ear. I relished that deep, smooth sound. His warm palms caressed my skin, being gentle and wary of any of my sensitive spots. "You seemed to enjoy said torture."

I scoffed, "Never said that I didn't enjoy it. You must've made me cum like a hundred times. One more time and I'd be in a coma."

"Well, it's good to know that everyone has their limits." He chuckled again. "Kind of wanted to see how many times you could, with your uh, shall we say accelerated recovery." He tightened his arms around me playfully. "Didn't really matter in the end…I lost count."

I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him. And he smiled at me. It was a sleepy expression, but it reached his eyes. That was something else that I hadn't seen in a while. One of these smiles of his was rare enough as it was.

So I reached back and cupped the side of his neck, bringing him in to kiss me. It was soft, warm and slow; a sharp contrast to the kisses we'd shared several hours ago. His lips moved tenderly with mine, his hand caressing the side of my face. Slowly his tongue glided against mine, and sampled a taste of my lower lip.

He sighed contently, pulling back. His thumb stroked my cheek as he stared down at me. I looked back into those dark chocolate eyes, fingers kneading his neck a little in response to his caress. Quiet and tender. He leaned in for one final kiss. I accepted it, breathing in deeply the scent of fire, wood smoke and dried sweat.

Then he pulled away, licking his lips. He settled down behind me again, looping his arm around me again, pulling me back against him. I followed his example and made myself comfortable, closing my eyes.

* * *

It seemed like only moments later that I opened my eyes again. It was a slow process because I was a bit unwilling to allow myself to wake up. But my eyes opened right up when I realized I was lying on my stomach, sheet pulled up to my shoulders, arms tucked around a pillow, with _no_ heated body beside me.

Lifting my head from the pillow, I brushed back my hair and looked around. Daylight was trying to peak through the dark curtains over the window. Clothes were scattered across the room. For a second I wondered when my boxer briefs had hung themselves on the bathroom door…?

Anyways, the pyro was nowhere in sight. I shifted my body a little and pulled the clock on the nightstand toward me. 12:38pm.

_Well…_

I untangled myself from the sheet and put my feet on the floor. Quickly, I found myself jumping up, a little bit sore. But it wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

With a quick rub at my eyes, I retrieved my boxers and my t-shirt. I touched my mouth, worrying about morning breath. So I took my bag from the floor and quickly ducked into his bathroom. I brushed my teeth fast, and thoroughly before I rinsed out my mouth. Once I was somewhat satisfied that I was dressed and my breath wasn't horrid, I left Warren's bedroom and descended the stairs.

As expected I heard movement in the kitchen, so I headed in that direction. And I came around the corner saying, "I don't even know how you got out of bed without," Then I blushed, and clamped my mouth shut.

Warren was leaning against the sink, wearing nothing but his boxers. And his mother was leaned against the fridge, fully dressed in a long-sleeve and jeans. She lowered an apple from her lips when she saw me and smirked at Warren. The pyro looked dully back at her, seemingly unfazed.

"Anyways, as I was saying, my plans for today do not really include a third party. So you'll have to find someone else to amuse you. Maybe call up Dead-Breath, and go somewhere else dark and dreary that might suit his undead demeanor."

The woman snorted, and pushed off of the fridge, taking a bite off her apple. She moved towards me, "Mornin' sweetie." I stepped to the side, out of her way, "Uh, morning Miss Peace…"

She leaned in close as she passed and whispered real quiet into my ear, "His seventeenth is in exactly two weeks." Then she kept going and was gone.

I looked back at Warren who was currently cocking an amused eyebrow at me.

Chuckling, I rubbed at the back of my neck, "She didn't seem phased."

He shook his head, "Nah. She's actually pretty delighted. Maybe even jealous. It's been so long since she's had sex that she probably can't even remember who it is that gets tied up."

"Heard that!" came a shout before I heard the front door open and close.

I blushed again, "Uhhh,"

He smirked at me, "Color's creeping into your face, Stronghold."

"Well, I'm embarrassed!" I said, looking down at the floor.

Warren chuckled then, "C'mere."

I looked back up at him. The pyro was smiling a little, his eyes relaxed and invitingly ember-filled. He looped an arm around my waist when I finally stepped over to him. It wasn't a rough gesture, but a soft, tender one. It seemed that being in the same room together and not touching was unacceptable. He leaned down and kissed me, encasing my top lip.

There was a small sound as our lips separated and I opened my eyes after a moment to look up at him. His smile looked almost lazily satisfied now. "You hungry?"

"Starving." I replied.

"What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want for break…lunch…whatever? And if you say 'whatever you want' or 'I don't care', I will hurt you."

I laughed, leaning back against the island, "Well, breakfast is a new thing. What am I supposed to do? Demand steak and eggs?"

He drew in a breath between his teeth, "Well, that's a little extravagant, but at least didn't say pancakes."

"What's wrong with pancakes?!" I exclaimed.

"They're stupid."

"Oh, well that just explains everything." I grumbled throwing my hands up. After a moment of quiet, I tried to sway his opinion about the delicacy, "I make a pretty mean oatmeal-pear pancake."

He cocked an eyebrow down at me, "That sounds,"

"Disgusting, I know! That's what I thought, but it's good!" I defended the strange pancake that Layla had introduced to me one morning at her house when I was maybe eight. He shook his head down at me, slipped a hand around the back of my neck and gave me a quick kiss.

Then he moved around me toward the fridge and said, "You're ridiculous."

"Within reason," I replied, crossing my arms defiantly as I leaned against the spot on the counter where he had been leaning. It was very warm. I shifted a little so I was leaning directly against the warm spot.

He glanced over his shoulder as he was looking into the fridge, "What's with the look?"

"What look?" I asked.

"That one."

Well, maybe the smile I'd been sporting had been a little dreamy…or something…I don't know…

"I was just watching your ass."


	43. Love Bites

**Oy...filler...**

**I tell you, it's a pain in the ass trying to sort out events that you had planned out in your head two years ago. This has been going on way too long...**

**Might as well convert it into a friggin gay romance novel you find on you nook or kindle for less than 5 bucks...oh hey now...that might...I call it. Mine. **

**I do apologize for the hiatus. It was my winter break from classes at college and I couldn't find the motivation nor patience to do any real writing. Which is kind of ridiculous because I had enough motivation to go to the gym 3-5 times a week, and meditate for 1-2 hours a day...**

**But I gotta just get back on, and get this going so this doesn't become a three year thing...which would be horribly sad...I mean its fanfiction...give me a break...**

**Oh hell, what am I talking about? I love this shit...**

**Enjoy filler and prepare for the upcoming events. Shit's gonna start going down...**

**On a side note, have I mentioned that I have a little crush on Queen Latifah. Adieu...**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I brushed the butter from my toast from my lip and sucked it off of my thumb. I looked over at him where he was leaned against the counter, removing meat from a small strip of fat with his teeth.

I glanced down at the island top, which I was seated Indian style on top of with my plate in front of me. He'd seated me here when he'd decided to stick his tongue in my mouth…almost burned the eggs.

"Should we have eaten that steak?"

Warren didn't look up but replied, "Well, they were marinating. And there were two. She doesn't put effort like that into a meal she's having by herself. So the steaks were probably going to be the main course of a dinner date tonight with her new boyfriend."

"Shit," I looked guiltily down at what was left of the meat on my plate.

He chuckled, "They were pretty good, huh?"

I looked back up at him and found him biting down on what seemed to be the last of his yolky toast. "Well, yeah they were good, but they weren't for us to enjoy!"

He outright laughed this time.

"You're mean…" I observed, poking at the yolks of my eggs with my fork. I didn't like egg yolks, so I normally just ate around them.

"It'll be funny," he said, tossing the single bit of steak fat into the garbage before putting his plate in the sink. "She'll look in the fridge, and they won't be there. She'll look for them for a bit, and start to wonder is she ever really prepared them. Then she'll come to the conclusion that I used them for my own little dinner date, and she'll get mad, then she'll just get over it and improvise and it'll be funny."

I blushed as I handed him my plate when he reached for it. He ate the yolks and put the plate in the sink.

"Technically it's a breakfast date." I mumbled, smirking. He shook his head, licking his lips after he swallowed, "No. Technically, it's a lunch date since it's about," he paused, looking at the clock on the stove, "quarter past one."

"Can you just call this a date one more time? So romantic, so romantic!"

"I could've just let you starve, you ungrateful little shit." He growled playfully.

I smirked, "Eternally grateful. So, now that I've been fed, what're we gonna do now?"

Warren was quiet for a moment, but I suppose he was sucking a piece of steak from between his teeth by the looks of it. "Well, I came out of work sweaty, and got sweatier last night, so…huh. I guess I'll have to fuck you in the shower."

He chuckled at the face and choked gulp sound I made.

Then the pyro was leaving the kitchen. For a second I was too flabbergasted to know if I was supposed to follow or not. I'd seen his shower. It could fit two people. It was just spacious enough to be a little cramped.

"_Stronghold_, I was not kidding!" He called, so I hurried after him.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

He whimpered against my throat as I dragged my fingers through his wet hair, pumping both of our erections together in my slick, soapy hand. I growled, sucking his lip into my mouth and dragged my teeth along it. Stronghold clutched shakily at my shoulders, shuddering under the heated spray of water.

Then the little brawn groaned, one of his hands sliding down in between us. His fingers were slipping amongst mine, wrapping around my prick. I growled again, renewing my efforts, taking him and letting him have me. And he matched me in every clench and stroke. His breath seized in his throat, his body bending into my chest.

Then he was coming, crying out against my collarbone. My knees nearly buckled as he tightened his grip well and added a twist to his wrist. My own orgasm caught me a little bit by surprise, and I was bracing a hand against the shower wall, leaning heavily into him.

"Oh, _fuck_!"

And for a long moment, all we could do was pant.

Stronghold coughed, breathing hard against my neck. I pulled him into my chest against the spray, my cheek moving affectionately over his head.

Moving away from the wall, water cascaded down our bodies, washing away our shared completion. I pressed myself to his back bending a little to mouth at the side of his throat over his shoulder. The little brawn was getting a bit taller.

Stronghold sighed, leaning back into me.

There was something immensely satisfying about this. This closeness. This newness. I'd never shared a shower before. I'd never caressed another's back with soapy hands. Never blown someone in such a small space. Never done _anything_ like this before.

Sure, I'd fucked a fair few of people. But never a lover…

For a moment I stared hard at the wall at the revelation, then I reached over and turned off the water. Suddenly uncomfortable, I pulled away from Stronghold and stepped from the shower.

I heard him sigh heavily behind me as I picked up the towels.

"That might just be the best shower I have…_ever_ had." He chuckled lazily.

I looked back at him. He looked well-fucked and I couldn't deny feeling a little smug and admiring of that expression. But still, I roughly tossed him a towel, averting my gaze.

I could almost feel him frowning at me. I ran my towel through my hair once and started drying my limbs.

I heard the little brawn moving, ruffling the towel over his head noisily. Thinking that the moment was dismissed, I started wrapping my towel around my waist.

"Warren…"

He was beside me now.

"Yeah?" I replied quietly, looking down at him. He looked puzzled. Brushing his damp hair back off of his forehead, he stared at me openly with those blues. And then he asked, "What's wrong?"

I looked away again.

"Hey, c'mon." He reached up and clasped my shoulder, "I thought we were past this…"

Then I chuckled nervously, struggling to stay in his gaze. "We are. It's just…nothing's really wrong."

His palm smoothed up to caress my face, listening intently. "It's just kind of overwhelming to realize that I l…that I _care_ about you way more than either of us knows."

He winced slightly, and swallowed hard. I glanced away, knowing he'd heard what I'd nearly said. "I'm not really a social guy, Stronghold. I've never had something like this before…and I'm…afraid of how good it feels."

Then he leaned up to kiss me, his arms gently looping themselves around my neck. I cupped his waist in my palms, holding him against me when he pulled away from my lips. He pressed his head against my shoulder.

By its own accord, one of my hands smoothed up his spine, fire smoldering warmly in my chest.

"Your body gets warmer when you talk all mushy and fuzzy like that." He chuckled.

I leaned away, cocking an eyebrow down at him. He smiled back up at me, and caressed the side of my face, "You have no idea how it makes me feel to hear you say that, War…I'm glad you can tell me that. You don't gotta worry about holding back with me, just be honest."

Another long bout of silence followed.

_Honest…crap…you moss-headed asshole…_

Stronghold pulled me out of my thoughts when he kissed me again. Then for a while I pressed my forehead to his, stroking the back of his neck. Then I cleared my throat, "Can we do some manly things now? Like watch an action movie, play Xbox, go for a ride on my motorcycle or something?"

He laughed, tugging playfully at my hair. "Who said making out wasn't manly?!"

Scoffing, I pushed him away from me and went back into my bedroom. He followed me in and went right to his bag on the floor. The muscles in his back moved as he crouched and bent to reach it. His skin was smooth and pale, with a few nearly invisible scars faintly standing out on his shoulder and some other more hidden places of his body.

I thought about the cuts I'd first seen on him on the furthest part of his shoulder. The way I'd roughly rubbed at them, first discovering his deepest secret. Essentially, they had been what had begun this entire thing.

I'd been crueler then. I'd taken what I wanted, and I'd never considered giving. Nothing but a plot or payback in my head. Not anymore. I knew the planes o his body intimately, tenderly. I knew just what places to caress for the most pleasurable outcome. I knew he liked to play guitar, and knew just when he played for hours without end by the red tenderness in his fingertips.

I knew he was insecure about what his parents and friends thought about him. I knew he chewed at the inside of his lip when he was thinking. I knew he was at times pretty messy and unorganized. And with his strength, I knew the little brawn made sure he treated anything he touched with gentleness.

I looked down at the floor as I zipped up my jeans, and then smirked.

"Gears?" he asked, stepping into a pair of jeans.

"I don't care," I said, shrugging.

The little brawn smiled like the cat that ate the canary, zipping up his jeans. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you," he came closer and looped his arms around my waist. "Seeing as you're such a loner, why do you have two Xbox controllers? Did one happen to appear when I started coming over?"

I smirked back down at him and leaned close like I was going to kiss him. "Came with the console I purchased to replace the one I barbecued."

Stronghold laughed, pulling away, "Oh! Could've gotten a kiss if you'd just gone with it! Honesty foiled you on this one!"

I smiled until he looked away, and then reached up to rub at my face. _Shit…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

It was about three o'clock when he habitually helped me off the back of his bike in front of my house. As I was taking off my helmet, I noticed Layla and Magenta coming out of her house. The redhead was wearing her huge tan and light green Baja hoodie that she's had for the past three years. And Magenta was looking intimidating a big, black long jacket…it looked like it belonged in a western or vampire movie.

Warren sighed and turned off the motor.

I laughed, "You don't have to stick around."

He smirked mockingly at me after he slid his helmet off and brushed back his hair. "Then I'd miss a chance to bond."

I gave him a push, "You mean 'brood'."

"Hey." Layla smiled as the two of them came up to us.

"Hi." I smiled back.

Maj nodded slightly, seeming more interested in picking at a hangnail.

"Hi, Warren." Layla added.

The pyro nodded in response.

"Well I didn't think I'd ever see you riding on the back of a motorcycle, Will." The nature-lover laughed.

I chuckled sarcastically back at her, strapping my helmet to the backseat, "You're just jealous."

Magenta glanced up and said, "I am."

Warren chuckled.

"Well, Maj, I can imagine you riding a bike. I mean, it scares me a little, but I can imagine it." I said, adjusting my backpack by the strap.

"I'm sure it's better on gas mileage." Layla said, adding a quick, "Better for the environment."

"Especially when it blows black smoke when I twist the throttle at a yellow light." Warren smirked, leaning on the handlebars of his bike.

Maj snorted, sucking the blood from the side of her finger when she tugged the hangnail out.

Layla rolled her eyes, "Very funny."

I couldn't help feeling kind of giddy. Here were my friends, and Warren. Together. All four of us talking. It felt a little bit like I was showing him off, and all it did was make me happy. And Warren didn't seem like he was entirely against it.

I came back into the conversation when Layla asked, "What're you going to do if it snows, Warren?"

And the pyro just stared back at her, kind of raising his eyebrows and squinting a little bit.

"_Oh_, right," she worked her hands in the air when she came to a realization. "The fire keeps you warm…and I'm sure you probably could transfer heat beneath the tires to melt the…yeah." She giggled, sheepishly tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Didn't think about that."

He tilted his head, "You don't seem to disapprove. This coming from the chick who felt the need to remind me that my power use should remain in school?

"I grow plants so I guess it's no different."

Magenta huffed quietly, squeezing blood out of the side of her fingernail.

"You're so charming, Maj." I said with mock delight.

"I try." She said wistfully, reaching back to adjust the knot on her bandana.

Warren glanced between the two of them and then looked at me, "I feel that you should be told this: you have weird friends."

"Look who's talking." Magenta said, gesturing at him and then me. "You're the one screwing this scrawny, hairless little pipsqueak."

"_Scrawny_?!_ Hairless_?!" I exclaimed. I unzipped my jacket, yanked up my shirt and tightened my stomach muscles. "See that?! Totally a six pack! And there under it is the wonderfulness of a happy trail!"

Magenta bent a little and squinted while Layla covered her face, snickering into her palms. The goth glanced up at me and then said, "I don't see the abs or the happy trail…"

"What the," I started, but she continued without me.

"At least not with that love bite right there."

Layla howled with laughter and I yanked the hem of my shirt back down, blushing furiously. Warren was even chuckling. I zipped up my jacket and hit him in the arm, "Shut up."

"I gotta get out of here anyways. I've got work." He said, pulling his helmet back on.

I said off to the side to the girls, "Usually he gives me a kiss before he goes."

I felt a good shove under my backpack, right on my ass, and I stumbled a foot or two.

"You can keep fighting for it, but you're not gonna get public displays of affection." He said, his voice slightly muffled. So I grabbed his helmet in both hand and planted a kiss right on the face shield.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" He shoved me off of him and brought his bike to life, "I gotta go to work."

Layla laughed, "See you at school tomorrow, Warren."

"Yeah…sure," he muttered, before twisting the throttle, making a turn and taking off out of the neighborhood.

Magenta crossed her arms and looked over at me, "So, is he a gentle lover or a brute in the sack?"

"W-what?" I stammered.


	44. Dead Again

**Yay! More filler! But somewhat plot-essential filler!**

**Let me tell you, I could go for some waffles right about now...Nearest diner joint open past midnight is about 40 minutes away...yep...life is never convenient for a mountain-born night-owl who lives in the wild...**

**To be honest I spent the past ten minutes staring at my foil birthday balloon from a week ago...the damn thing hasn't deflated by the slightest...remarkable...mysteries of the wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, spacey wacey...stuff...**

**Cookies for understanding the reference...**

**I've actually been watching a lot of that lately on my kindle...let me tell you, after all these years, Daleks still freak me the fuck out...and I'm pretty sure that those destructive buggers are the reason why my well-watered and fed plants are all dying...**

**Anyways, things are being set in motion finally. As previously mentioned, this here sad, pathetic...thing...is going to be finished before the Lithia, the Summer Solstice, even dreams of getting here.**

**I hope to have the next chapter out before Ostara (the upcoming Equinox for those of you who don't know). But you know me. Lazy-ass, pineapple-loving andro...**

**Be nice to me...I'm 20 and I'm writing fan fiction...**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I heaved a sigh, throwing finished plates up on shelf for the waitresses to pick up. Min Zhi was in the back arguing with Shu. Based on what I could make out when their voices raised occasionally, it was about money. He wanted more than he deserved. And he was Shu's nephew so it was a hard argument to be had.

I glanced at Bai Da. He caught my eye and shook his head.

"He still bitching and moaning back there?"

We looked over at Moss Head. His eye was swollen shut and bruised liberally. I'd socked him pretty good…

Bai Da nodded, "Yeah."

He snorted, turning back to washing his dishes, "He's such a bratty bitch."

One of the girls burst through the door from the dining room, "Warren, it looks like the fucking SWAT team is here and they're looking for you. You'd better take off!"

Lowering my eyebrows, I looked between the shelves at her, "What're you talking about?"

"Big, muscle-y guy in a black uniform, a couple of rank patches on his arm and he's got a couple of big guys with him too! They're packing."

"Hey, Peace!"

I recognized that voice.

And sure enough, a big, gray-haired man in a black uniform shoved the door open. That rank patch to me plainly symbolized Head of the Citadel. And those steely gray eyes fell right on me.

"_What the fuck is going on over there?!_" Shu's voice echoed from the back, and we heard her little feet shuffle in to join us.

With a wary eye on our new company, I wiped my hands on the towel hanging from my apron, stepping back from the stoves. "What can I do for you, chief?"

I didn't wanna mention his Super name in front of my mortal compatriots. Didn't need compromise any identities. But then again, _Concussion_ here was the one blowing into my place of work with a compact team, obviously meaning business.

"_These sons of bitches are bringing guns into my restaurant!_ Hell do you want? You scaring the customers!" Shu growled.

"Calm down, lady." Concussion said, barely sparing the woman a glance. "You and I need to talk." He added, gesturing between the two of us.

Glancing around at the mortals, I nodded toward the back door. "Outside." Quickly, I led the way out, throwing over my shoulder, "_It'll be alright, Shu. I'll be back in a few minutes."_

Concussion and his five man team thankfully followed me out.

"You know, a call three weeks ahead of time would have been nice." I said, knowing full well I was digging at something that had already scarred over since I'd gone to see my dad.

"Shut up, wise ass. I need some information right now."

"Well, maybe if you ask nicely." I said, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"We got surveillance and a good tip on the whereabouts on Royal Pain." Concussion said, resting his right hand on his belt.

There was no slow lead-up. No preparation. Nothing…just bam…bluntness that made my mouth dry up. "W…what?"

"You didn't think we weren't searching around for him after we translated that conversation?"

"How did you find him?"

"Techs dug up some rough footage of him running your ass over." A smirk broke through the man's rough expression for the slightest of seconds. But he immediately schooled it, "Went through the hundreds of black vans in the city and nearby surrounding areas. Found it in a dumpsite. Cracked some codes, got a tip from a couple of students in your school whom he tried to proposition, some more red tape, and we're about to infiltrate his base."

"You're fucking shitting me." I grumbled.

"Commander and Jetstream are joining up too. It's the real deal. We've had eyes for two days. It's happening now." Concussion said seriously.

I rubbed at my mouth, "Uh, wow…okay, what do you need?"

"One, I need you to stay with my boys here. Two, I need you to tell me if you've seen him with The Pacifier." The man stared widely into my eyes.

"The what?"

"His weapon. It's a cheesy looking, two-handed gun. Gray hard metal and it throws out a white shock beam."

I shook my head immediately, "He never used it on me, and I never saw him with anything like that. All I know about his fighting style is he's a leadfoot and his fists are juiced."

Concussion nodded, glancing down at his watch. "Well, the weapon's missing from the Commander's collection. So he's probably got it. You go back in; I'll have the boys keep an eye out. I gotta go, or I'm gonna miss the action."

A black SUV pulled up outside the parking lot, squealing to a stop. The men gathered behind me dispersed to take up vantage points. And Concussion jogged toward the SUV, the front passenger door throwing itself open.

"Wait! Wait, wait, Concussion!" I called, running after him.

The big man paused before climbing into the vehicle, looking back at me.

"What about, Stronghold? What about Will? If his parents are gone, he's home alone."

"I've got eyes on him too…" He said, lowering his eyebrows. "What do you care about him for?"

I set my jaw, "Just make sure he's safe." Then I backed off so Concussion could climb in. Still, he stared quizzically at me.

But after a long moment, he snorted, "Maybe it ain't like-father like-son after all, hothead." Then he climbed into the SUV, and as soon as the door shut, it took off.

If Concussion left the Citadel, it was a big deal. Like he'd said, the man prided himself on the number of villains he had imprisoned within its walls. On top of that, the city's favorite Super duo was going in too. This shit _was_ big. They really were gonna take down Royal Pain.

Consciously, I thought about the nights I'd spent wandering the Utilidor, looking for the bastard. I thought about the knee brace I'd had to wear for a while after my run-in with the guy. It had almost all been useless. But that chance run-in had tipped off the right people. And now they were going to get him.

I wasn't ready to celebrate yet, however.

Pulling out my phone, I texted a quick message. _**You okay?**_

It didn't take too long to receive the response. _**Yeah, just doin some hw. Why?**_

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I rubbed at my face. _**Just makin sure. Ill text you after work.**_

_**Ok. Dont work too hard**_

I snorted, shaking my head and shoving my phone back in my pocket before going back inside.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I set down my phone, smiling from where I was sitting cross-legged on the couch.

"Who're you textin' over there?" Zack asked from where he was on the floor, textbook in his lap. Layla snorted, "Warren, probably."

Ethan chuckled, leaning back in the chair, "Will's dating Warren. I feel _extremely_ dangerous."

Magenta cocked an eyebrow over at him, "How?"

"Status by association." He replied as a matter-of-factly.

Blushing and shaking my head, I asked, "Don't you guys have a cute History assignment to finish?"

"Don't you have a stutteringly difficult Mad Science paper to write?" Zack countered, smirking over at me.

"Ooh, 'stutteringly'. That's a big word." I remarked.

It felt good to have them all here in my living room again. Just like in the beginning of the year. The parents were out, probably saving the world or something, and it was just me and my closest friends. If I managed to throw Warren in the mix, it'd make for a pretty awesome and complete night.

"What do you say after I get to a full page of my paper, we go out for a swim or something?" I asked, tapping my pencil in my textbook, looking for any excuse to procrastinate. Anything to get away from this infernal assignment.

"It's heated right?" Ethan asked.

Magenta snorted, "No, he was thinking about a penguin dip. It's not even that cold outside."

Layla shook her head, "I disagree. I had to bring my porch cactus inside. The air was too cool and moist. Poor little thing was begging for some stale air."

I looked between the girls, gesturing between them with my pencil. "I'm confused. Was that a yes or a no?"

Magenta shrugged, "I'm in. It's not like History's going anywhere or anything."

Ethan glanced at the remote, "Think there's news coverage on your mom and dad yet?"

Shrugging, I scooped it up and pointed it at the TV. "Dunno. Probably by now."

Zack and Ethan had been stoked when they'd witnessed the departure of my parents, answering a distress call. Totally geeked out.

It was actually kind of comical. Over the years it had become just another mundane experience for me. But I suppose it wasn't every day that you could see your friend's dad, one of the greatest Supers of the time, dropping a piece of loaded pizza to dash off out of site to save the world.

To be honest, I was surprised he didn't take the slice with him…I mean, it had bacon on it…

I flipped to a news channel and sure enough, there was footage of helicopter spotlights falling over a warehouse somewhere downtown. There was a flash of bright white light and I squinted, seeing the red of Mom's cape. I looked at the caption under the footage and my jaw went slack.

"_'Showdown Downtown: The Commander and Jetstream the S.S. Forces Versus Royal Pain'_?" Layla read in disbelief.

"Royal Pain?" Zack asked, lowering his eyebrows in confusion. "Wait a second, I know that name!" He started flipping through his textbook.

"I thought that cuckoo was dead?" Magenta asked, leaning forward in genuine interest.

I turned up the volume to hear the newscaster.

"It looks like the Super Special Forces have Royal Pain pinned on the roof! The building is becoming engulfed in flames and Royal Pain seems to be in possession of his notorious weapon, The Pacifier!"

We were all enraptured, staring at the crappy aerial footage.

It was hard to really see what was happening.

But fire was breaking out. And Mom was flying swiftly through the air, drawing and dodging electric white beams. I couldn't see Dad.

"S.S. Forces are being knocked back by machinery that Royal Pain is controlling! Oh, look! The Commander has made it onto the roof!" A form appeared under one of the spotlights of the helicopters, highlighted by a blue cape.

The camera went out of focus as a metallic, warbling roar echoed from the speakers.

The five of us jumped back as the picture was lit up in bright orange and white with an electrical explosion.

"Shit, _Dad!"_

"Ladies and gentlemen! The building has collapsed! There's no sign of Royal Pain of the Commander! Oh! There goes Jetstream into the flames!"

I grabbed onto the edges of the coffee table, sinking to the floor onto my knees, spilling my notebook and its content. This fear shivering through me hadn't shown itself for a number of years. My stomach was sinking, acid burning in my throat as I watched the screen with wide, searching eyes.

Mom and Dad were the best Supers of their generation, they were indestructible together. Doesn't every kid believe nothing can hurt their parents?

"Do you see anything?" The word tasted cold in my mouth.

Magenta growled, "If they could focus the camera!"

Zack shook his head, "Royal Pain can control technology. The waves he's sending out is probably interrupting the signals."

I looked over at the giant. He was watching the television intently, with a finger rested on a paragraph in his History textbook. There was a blurry picture of a man in a horned helmet beside the text. Since going down into the Sanctum, I'd looked up their greatest battles, skimming here and learning there. I recognized that photo.

_He's supposed to be dead…_

Layla grabbed my arm, "Look, Will!"

My attention shot back to the screen. A red, white and blue blur shot straight up into the air, and the camera suddenly focused. Mom had Dad under the arms. Both of them were a little singed, but for the most part looked okay.

Zack fell back against the carpet, letting out a huge sigh, "Oh, they're alive."

Muscled relaxed that I hadn't realized I'd been tensing. I rested my forehead against the coffee table, and just breathed.

The newscaster's voice took over again. "They made it out! The Commander and Jetstream are safe! There seems to be no sign of Royal Pain. S.S. forces have the building surrounded and teams are rapidly putting out the fire. It might just be that this electrical fiend has gotten his due once more by the hands of the Commander and Jetstream."

"I thought they were all barbecued." Magenta said, reaching up to rub at her face.

"Maj!" Layla hissed, nudging the Goth.

I lifted my head and sighed, "No, it's okay. I thought they were too…but they're fine. They made it."

Without a word, Zack sat up and got to his feet. Then he was going out the sliding glass door, yanking off his shirt.

I started, "Zack,"

"Zack, what're you-?" Layla continued.

Then the giant stepped off the ledge, right into the pool.

"Uhhh," Ethan stared.

The water settled and the bleach blonde rose up to the surface.

"What the hell are you doing?" Magenta called.

The giant climbed easily out of the pool, aiding by his long limbs. Rubbing water from his face he called back, "Had to clear my head. I seriously thought Will was going to have a broken heart again."

Layla glanced at me, her lower lip jutting out a bit. "Aw."

I rolled my eyes, and settled back against the couch with a groan. "Be nice to me, my parents just blew up downtown…"

Magenta took the remote and turned off the television silently.

I looked over at Zack who was standing, shivering a tad bit outside the screen door in just his soaking shorts. He looked like a big, pathetic puppy. "How about that swim?" I asked, glancing around. Pushing myself up from the couch, I said, "I gotta clear my head too…and so help me, if any of you dunk me…" I faded off, trying to soften the tension in the room.

Layla smiled weakly, following along, "I doubt you could muster up the hostility to do any of us harm, Will."

Magenta stood up, "He's soft. Like butter."

Zack added, "Butter's delicious."

I threw up my arms, "Now, all I want is toast!" Heavily sighing, I gestured at Zack, "Just hang on a second, I'll get you a towel, man."

"Thanks." Zack quickly said, obviously eager to dry off and get back inside. He may have been tall, but he was skinny. The chill in the air was probably unpleasant for the giant.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I got off late, and the lights were all off in the house when I got home. The car was in the garage so I figured Mom was around, just sleeping. Or out with the vamp, I dunno.

Once tucked safely into my bedroom, I sunk down hard onto the bed, digging my phone from my pocket. I watched the numbers change on the clock as the minutes passed. On the screen, my thumb hovered over the keys to type in a reply to the last message Stronghold had sent me.

I didn't know what to say. I'd heard about the fire, and the explosion. And just as I'd left the restaurant, the TV over the bar confirmed that they'd located the body of Royal Pain, crushed beneath a whole lot of broken walls and rubble. Unlike his first death, this one had a body. And there was some sense of freedom still slowly spreading through the fire in my veins.

Stronghold was safe now that that crazy fuck was dead...again.

_**Are you okay?**_ I finally sent.

The reply came mere moments after. _**Hey. Yeah im okay. Saw the news huh?**_

_**Yes **_

_**Theyre not back yet. But they let me know that they were fine**_

Pressing my lips together in a firm line, I lowered the phone down to my side and stared up at the ceiling. It held no advice or answers that I sought. I'd been keeping everything a secret so long that I had no clue how to tell him. But I wanted to tell him so badly now.

_**Anyways, i had my friends over tonight. I was wonderin if you wanted to do something with them tomorrow? **_

I snorted, smiling at how carefree the guy was. Easily moving from one topic to the next like it was no big deal. With all the things I had to tell him, I was most likely in need of utilizing every chance he gave me to please him.

Sighing, I sent back a reply. _**What will we be doing? Nothing too cozy i hope?**_

_**We talked about goin to the park an havin a campfire like we used to **_

Quickly, I told him yes, that I'd love to, as long as I'd have a little time to have him to myself. He deserved to know. Everything. Royal Pain, my old intentions, Moss Head. Vaguely, I thought about the horrendous black eye I'd given Zeke. Depending on how Stronghold took all of this, he might be in for a few more bruises…as well as I.

I hoped he hit me. I deserved it.

However, I didn't want to lose him and all of this information might just break us.

My phone vibrated and I opened his message. _**More than a little. Park at 7?**_

_**Sounds good. Im pretty tired. Ill get a hold of you tomorrow.**_

I tossed the cell onto the nightstand and closed my eyes. My hands reached up over my head, stretching out muscles and popping my spine quietly. In relief I sunk down against the mattress. Then and there, I hated my own guts. Hated myself for all the pain I'd put my little puissant through, and for the bullshit I was about to put him through again…

There was a rattling noise and I realized it was my cell again. Picking it up and opening the message, I saw that Stronghold had sent a final message. _**Night then. Cant wait**_

Scoffing, I let the device fall down to the floor as I rubbed my eyes. _Not so sure about that…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

Smiling, I settled back down against my pillow. The pyro had seemed a little agreeable, but that was probably from exhaustion.

_Anything to get me to leave him alone to sleep._

Chuckling, I brushed back my hair, rolling onto my back. It was half past midnight so I couldn't blame him. Still, it was nice that he'd thought to text me before bed. Moving my hand through the sheets, I wished he was there to warm them. I liked sleeping against him, even if I did wake up a bit sweatier the next morning. That was pretty much a given while sharing a bed with the firebird.

My text tone went off, and I quickly grabbed it excitedly.

It died down when I saw who it was, but admittedly, I was still glad for the message.

_**Hey! Just saw the news! I know it's late, but i wanted to see if you and your parents were alright! D:**_

_**Yep, dont worry, were all fine! **_

_**Okay, just making sure! ;) Not that I was too worried about the**_** Stro****ngholds...**

_**Haha, yeah, I get it. Thanks for checkin up on me, Gwen!**_


	45. Busted

**Well, the fucking play is finally over. I swear, in the past few weeks I've seen my father for about five hours in all. **

**And sure, it's not like I didn't enjoy the immaturity of some of my fellow cast and crew members...for fuck's sake, sometimes I wondered if we were being filmed because some of the bullshit that went down could only have happened on some stupid reality TV show. **

**Ah well, it's over now and I don't have to work with them all hours of the evening anymore. **

**This college year is almost up, I've maintained exceptionally high grades so it's possible that I'll be on the Dean's list again. Whoo. I'm just so tired...**

**Tired of playing the game...**

**Ain't it a friggin' shame...?**

**Cookie to the somebody who gets the reference...**

**Anyways, another day on the final week of the Oxygen-verse is gone! For those who can't recall, this chapter takes place on a Sunday. I'm actually a little itchy thinking that this is the last week in the story. Like I've said before, it's been going on far too long. But I go back occasionally and see how I've developed as a writer and as a person and I think I like what I see.**

**Ooh, today I sliced open my hands on a rusty piece of metal while working on my car! Yay! So now, I have no use of my thumbs because the deep cuts are right on the pads of my thumbs and along the inside of my palms...the space bar is a little weirded out by the fact that it's not getting pounded by the thumbs...my cell phone was laughing at me because I couldn't text...fucking gauze fingers...**

**Note to myself and to you all...never lose your thumbs in a horrible accident...at least until they perfect the art of bionic thumbs...**

**Have a lovely evening, day, morning...and remember, an orgasm a day lowers blood pressure...and when you eat pineapple it technically eats you back...**

**OPPOSABLE THUMBS!**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

The door opened as I was trudging my way up the stairs. It was Stronghold, with blue eyes bright and smiling. "Hey!" He exclaimed, taking a couple of barefoot steps out onto the porch. "You're early," he said, confidently placing his hands on my flanks, and leaning up to kiss me.

It was chaste. But it was still on his front porch for all his neighbors to see. So that was saying something.

Something that made my fire lick warmly at my ribs. He smiled blushingly as he leaned back, grasping tenderly at the back of my shirt under my jacket. "Was that okay?" I watched as I ran a palm up his forearm, looking away from his eyes, "Yes. More than okay…can I come in? I'd like to talk with you."

Quickly, he nodded, "Oh yeah! Sure!" The little brawn laughed as he led me into his house, "You don't have to ask."

"Where are your parents?" I asked, listening for any sound in the house. I hadn't seen any cars in the driveway, and had boldly parked my bike in it. For this conversation, I wanted to be alone with him.

"Not home from work yet. Probably won't be till after we're gone." He smiled, affectionately tugging at the hem of my shirt.

Before I could make the offer to go sit and talk in his living room, Stronghold's eyes lit up and he let out an, "Oh!" snapping his fingers.

"What?"

"That reminds me! I gotta run up to my room. Gotta give you your shirt back." He turned and was going up the stairs before I could finish saying, "That can wait." But the little brawn had his mind set on it, and my voice wasn't strong enough.

Waiting for about a minute, shoving my fists in my pockets more than once, I brushed my knuckles across my mouth. I wanted to tell him what I came here to tell him and get it over with. Being suspended in this state of not knowing his reaction was irritating the hell out of me. But I was nervous He was going to be upset…angry, and betrayed. I wanted him to be.

But then I didn't want him to be. I wanted him to forgive me. Taking a breath, I went up the stairs, two at a time. The longer I kept it a secret, the worse it was going to get. Once at the top, I entered his room. "Stronghold,"

He picked his head up from where he was knelt on the floor beside his bed. "Had to remember where I put it." He ducked his head back down.

Having not been in his room for a while, I looked around. It was a little messy, bed unmade, some notebooks and clothes on the floor, typical of the brawn. Posters, pictures, stickers and other kinds of memorabilia littered the walls. His guitar sat in the corner behind him. A small iPod dock sat on his nightstand. It was the kind of nest I would expect from him. Except for the old set of benching weights shoved to one side of the room. But then again, maybe he lifted. He was getting a little more muscular than he had been when I'd first seen him.

As I studied them, I heard him chuckle, "I dragged that stuff up from the basement over the summer. It was crunch time and I had no powers. I was desperate."

I looked over at him.

He was shaking his head at the equipment. "I don't really use it much anymore. I'm kinda lazy," he smirked, standing up. Then he shuffled right across the bed, and held out a folded lump of dark fabric to me.

I recognized it immediately as my favorite long-sleeve shirt with the phoenix on it. Constantly, I'd been forced to remind myself of its whereabouts while dressing; then I'd always taken a moment to smile at remembering our first real ride together.

"Here ya go."

I took it from him with both hands, "Thanks, but this isn't important right n,"

"Of course it's important!" He exclaimed, reaching over to trace a finger along the phoenix. "This is your favorite shirt…and it doesn't smell like you anymore…"

I looked up from the shirt to his face. He was smiling tenderly at it, and he looked up into my eyes, blushing. "I want it to smell like you again…Haven't I ever told you how good you smell?"

Unable to speak, I settled for swallowing to wet my dry throat.

Stronghold stepped closer, placing his hands on my shoulders. Moving the shirt to my side in one hand, I cupped the small of his back with the other. He leaned in, and breathed deeply at my collarbone.

Letting out a small sigh, he pressed his face against it, and murmured, "I'm surprised I haven't. It's one of my favorite things about you." His arms looped around my neck and I felt his tongue lave at the hollow at the base of my throat. The brawn's voice was low, desirous. "You always smell so warm. Spiced. Like fire burning. And leather from your jacket…and then your hair."

I bet slightly as his fingers threaded through it. He breathed in deeply again, almost against my ear.

"Woodsmoke. Not the over-powering kind that you just want to wash out once the campfire's died. But something you never want to fade. Something familiar and good." I'd never want to fade. Something familiar and good."

I'd never given much thought to the way I smelled. And I felt sort of self-conscious that Stronghold had, despite the fact that he had nothing bad to say.

His breath touched my lips, and he held the back of my head as he leaned up to kiss me. Eyes sinking closed, I dropped my shirt to the floor, and wrapped my arms firmly around him.

This, I had missed. His taste. Minted and cool. His scent that I found myself exploring anew, having never thought too much about it.

A little moan made its way up his throat, and he pressed his groin up against mine. He was getting hard…had to say the same for myself.

Fearful that this could be the last time, I wrestled my tongue into his mouth and pressed him up against the first hard surface I could find.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I grunted as he slammed me up against the wall. His mouth attacked mine with a throaty growl. I caught his tongue between my lips and sucked on it, drawing in the warm taste that couldn't be anything but him.

I fisted the front of his jacket and slammed him back against the other wall, catching his lip between my teeth. He growled, his breath hot on my face. My fingers tangled in his hair, pressing his mouth hard against mine. He groaned, and the sound made my hips jolt. He grabbed my wrists and forced me back against the door, effectively slamming it shut. He slipped a knee between my thighs, pressing and rubbing at the crotch of my jeans.

My hard-on twitched helplessly against his leg drawing a shuddering moan from me.

There was a growl of approval and Warren pulled off my mouth with a wet, breathless smack. Heat from the kiss left my lips throbbing and I groaned, baring my teeth as he latched onto my neck.

I gave a growl of my own, shoving him off me toward the bed. Instead his shoulder caught the corner of the wall, and his hips met my dresser. The thing moved half a foot across the rug as I pounced onto the pyro again.

A large hand caught the front of my jeans and squeezed. A whimper resonated in my throat, and he chuckled in an almost cruel way, flooded with lust.

My heart pounded in my chest…hard. My room was in a state of disarray. Things were toppled over, and posters were just about ripped from the walls. I'm pretty sure I left my dignity somewhere downstairs when a long, petty cry leapt from my lips as he sucked on my throat. It didn't help my situation further that he was tugging at my erection through my jeans.

He lifted his head and I leaned up to kiss him, pressing him back against my dresser. He hooked a boot around my ankle and gave me a shove.

I toppled backwards to the floor with a cry of surprise. Warren was back on me in an instant. He laced his fingers in between mine, pressing my hands into the carpet. The pyro flipped his hair back over one shoulder and crushed his lips down against mine. He fenced with my tongue in a glorious battle for dominance, making my mind hazy for a long moment. He pulled back to tilt his head the other way. Hungrily, he lapping at my throat, nipped at it and harshly bit it.

I groaned, my hips thrusting up against his.

At first I hesitated, but then I gripped his hands and turned him over onto his back, drawing a grunt from him. He pressed against my hands and was slightly astonished that I was playing the super strength card. But his eyes darkened and he sighed breathily when I leaned down and nibbled on his exposed collarbone.

I could barely breathe, I was worked up. I kissed my way up his throat and back to his mouth. He opened to my onslaught, giving an appreciative rumble as I used my strength to my advantage. My hips ground down against his and he grunted, his fingers clasping my hands.

I released one of them and let my free palm travel down the front of his shirt. He grabbed at the back of my hair, murmuring incoherent encouragement against my lips as he wrestled my tongue back into my mouth. Briefly my hand dipped under the hem of my shirt, feeling the ridiculous warmth of his skin under my palm.

Shakily, I tugged at his belt. As I did, Warren pressed and struggled against me, yanking my head back by the hair. I gasped in a breath of air and loosened my grip on his wrist. The pyro shoved me back off of him. Claiming my lips one last time, he turned me abruptly onto my stomach. His hot breath touched the nape of my neck as he planted a wet, panting kiss against it. I let out a longing, whimpering moan when I felt his incredibly hot cock pressing up against my ass as he gave a thrust.

_Why the hell are we still wearing clothes? _

Warren obviously had the same though as he just about tore my shirt as he yanked it off of me. I tried to reach back to grasp his hip to encourage more friction. But he had other plans as he gathered my wrists and held them firmly against the back of my neck.

And with his other hand? Oh gods, he pressed a scorching flame right between my shoulder blades.

I sucked in a breath and let out a pained yell, writhing beneath the pyro. The heat seemed to intensify and I squeezed my eyes shut. The pain elicited a moaning scream from my throat.

_Oh fuck, fuck…fuck! Finally!_

I pressed my lips into a firm line, my eyebrows knitting together with a hurt whimper as the fire lifted from my bruised skin. And I let out another scream as Warren dragged the palm-full of flames down my back. I wriggled, caught between attempting to escape or press back against it.

My body tensed, my cock practically writhing against the zipper of my jeans, begging for release. He hadn't down this to me in so long…Fuck, it was excruciatingly wonderful. I guess it had pleased him to no end when I really allowed myself to…not just lay down and take it.

Confidence is key I suppose.

Sure, I loved the vulnerability and the upmost trust I placed in him to know my push me to my limits, but I discovered that the rewards were fruitful when I made him fight for it. To surprise _him_. To shove _him_ up against a wall. Use some of my strength on him. Because just like I could take it, he could take it too.

My scream resonated against the walls and I was glad that it had been a chilly day, making me close the windows. Otherwise the world would have heard me.

Then again, I think I would have taken the world over the sound of my bedroom door swinging open.

"Will, are you alr-!"

There was just a second's heartbeat, my eyes shot open and I felt Warren turn above me, his fire dying down.

And this blissful, fiery Heaven turned into a frozen Hell.

"BATTLE! You son of a bitch!"

The pyro was heaved off of me. I shoved myself up to my knees, turning, "DAD! NO!"

Dust flew up as my father thrust Warren right through the wall and into the bathroom, making the house shake around me. I heard the pyro let out a pained grunt at the impact. Shoving myself to my feet, I reached for Dad's arm as he threw off his glasses, "Stop! Dad! Don't hurt him!"

Through the hole in the wall, Warren threw himself from the cloud of dust with a war-like growl, catching my dad by surprise. The two of them tumbled back through the door way and through the closet door in the hallway. There was a horrible crack when the man thrust his fist into the pyro's jaw.

Warren yelled out, fire pluming in Dad's face. He cried out, stumbling back.

My pyro tackled my father to the floor, sending them both plummeting down the stairs. "Dad! Warren! Oh god, stop it! Please!"

I chased after them, catching the dented walls to keep my balance.

In the foyer, Dad had Warren pinned under him, landing punch after punch on the pyro. "Stay back, Will!"

"Dad! It's not Baron Battle! Stop hurting him!"

Warren shoved my father off of him and they went right over the couch in the living room.

"Please! Stop!"

Another punch sent Warren right through the sliding glass door and into the backyard. He shoved himself from the ground and grabbed my dad's fist when the older man threw it at him. The pyro turned the blow away, thrusting his weight to one side, throwing Dad off balance. Fire singed the older Hero's button-up shirt and he was nearly sent back into the pool.

But he caught his balance, and landed a furious blow to Warren's temple, sending him to the ground, _hard_.

"STOP!" I screamed, grabbing Dad's fist as he thrust it back to hit the pyro again. Roaring, I yanked him back through the air, right over my head, and slammed him into the ground.

In the grass Dad pulled in a gasp, having had the wind knocked right out of him. Then I kept myself in between them, sinking down to my knees and spreading my arms protectively over the pyro. "Stop hurting him! Please!"

Layla was at the fence, looking fearfully into our back yard. Vaguely, I could hear her mom out in the street talking with and reassuring what I thought to be the neighbors, gathered by the ruckus.

Dad rolled onto his elbows, coughing, grasping his chest, "Will, what the,"

"He's my boyfriend!"

Oh gods, the dumbfounded look on his face...if I hadn't been so scared right then, I would have laughed. Instead I trembled, looking over Warren whose eyes hadn't managed to open all the way. He had a bloody, split lip, a few decent bruises developing across his jaw and cheekbones. He had some cuts from the broken glass.

"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand over it, trying to staunch the flow.

It took a moment for the pyro's eyes to focus. He frowned and held a hand to his head to still the obvious swaying he was experiencing from the blow to the temple. Anyone else would've been knocked out cold. I was a bit surprised. If Warren could take a hit from the Commander, he could take one from anybody.

I looked back at Dad to find him struggling to find his feet, profusely stammering.

"How can-? But he…he was hurting you!"

"I like it like that!" I barked back, glaring at him.

Stupefied, his mouth hung open, losing his footing as he'd started getting up, and landed on his ass. I could almost feel Layla's eyes focus on the new burn in the middle of my back. Instantly, I felt self-conscious, wishing I wasn't half naked. But then I looked back down at Warren who was pushing himself warily up to sit, and I remembered that I had no reason to feel shameful.

Taking a deep breath, I asked him, "Can you stand?"

He nodded slightly, reaching up to wipe away the blood flowing from his lip. "Yeah."

I helped him up to his feet, pulling one of his arms over my shoulders. Dad who was still on the ground, stammering unintelligently.

"Will," He managed.

Warren glared down at the older man, and I tightened my grip on his wrist. "Hey, hey, don't look at him. Just keep moving. I'm so sorry." I whispered to him, voice shaky.

The pyro must've heard the worried tone, and he looked into my eyes as we carefully moved back through the broken sliding glass door. I was barefoot, so I made my steps careful. He moved his arms from my shoulders, down around my waist and lifted me a few inches off the floor, carrying me to glassless carpet.

"Warren, don't strain your-"

"I'm okay, Will." He said against the side of my forehead. Once he set me down, I glanced back outside and saw Dad finally rising to his feet, rubbing a hand over his mouth, still flabbergasted.

I looked up at him, took him by the arms and said, "Just go out front, I'm gonna run upstairs for some clothes. Think you can ride?"

He was quiet for a moment, staring down into my eyes. He looked so resigned. Tired of the world. It might've been the blow to the head.

"Yeah. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

Firmly, I nodded, nudging him toward the door, "I'm going with you. I'll be right down."

Without another word, I ran upstairs, hoping that he was going out the door. And the very second I made it into my room, I heard Dad call out, "Will?!"

I ground my teeth, shoving some clothes into my backpack with my books. I yanked on a t-shirt and one of my hoodies as another call rang out, "Will?! Please!"

Slinging my bag onto my shoulders, I moved out of my room, and started down the stairs. Dad was about halfway up them.

"Will, please, stop. I'm…We need to, Will, wait a second,"

I kept going right on past him, pulling out of his grip when he caught my sleeve.

"Will! Just wait a minute!"

I threw open the door and strode over to the street where Warren had backed his bike. The pyro held my helmet out to me as I approached. It was almost surprising how quickly I strapped it on and mounted the bike behind the pyro. He still took my arm and helped me on as usual, but it was so habitual, comforting.

Unlike the fact that my Dad had just beat the hell out of my lover, and was now barking for me to get off the bike.

"Will! Where are you going? Will, no, no, you have to get off, Will get off the motor-"

I flipped up the visor, "Dad! You're out of control! You just busted the house to hell! And you _attacked_…oh for god's…Warren, please just go."

The pyro did as I asked, twisting the throttle, and riding carefully around my dad and down the street.

"Will! Come back! We need to talk about this!"

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"Yeah, we'll just go to the park some other time. Yeah, he's okay…he'd pretty tough. Yeah…I don't even know what got into him."

I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom, listening to the conversation he was having with Hippie.

I glanced over my shoulder through the slightly open doorway, and saw him sit on my bed, drawing a pillow close to him.

"Yeah, he keeps calling my phone,"

I sighed quietly, leaning over the sink, dabbing at the cut on my lip with a hot, wet washcloth.

"Hang on, Lay, I think he's calling me again."

I sighed quietly, wondering if I should have brought him back here. But then again, maybe leaving him there wouldn't have been the best idea either.

"Layla, I'll uh…I'll call you back…it's my mom."

I couldn't believe that I'd actually fought against the Commander…well sort of. I never threw a punch. Maybe a little fire, a good tackle, a few good dodges…but I didn't really fight. Something had held me back.

Months ago, all I'd wanted was a chance to fight him. I'd grown up imagining taking the upper hand, feeling the strongest I could ever be. Never feeling weak. Feeling like a man. Putting the man in his place.

But I don't think that place existed.

I set down the washcloth. The blood had stopped flowing a while ago. Probably during the ride back to my place. Long before I fed him a simple dinner. I suppose I was hiding. I still hadn't been able to tell him.

The bathroom door opened more and the brawn came in, slowly wrapping his arms around my naked waist from behind. I felt his warm breath against my shoulder as he sighed.

"That was my mom. She calmed him down finally. I guess me and them are gonna talk tomorrow after school…is it okay if I sleep here?" he asked.

I looked over my shoulder at him, "Yeah."

Those blue eyes found mine. He looked exhausted. He may not have gotten his ass handed to him, but emotionally I suppose it could be the equivalent.

Stronghold planted a kiss on my shoulder and sighed again, "I know it's only nine…but mind if I go to sleep? I'm kinda tired…"

I turned around in his embrace and kissed him chastely on the lips, "Me too."

The little brawn led me into my room and we climbed into bed together. After some careful shuffling, we settled with his back snugly tucked against my chest. I closed my eyes as he reached to turn off the bedside lamp.

"Night, Warren."

"Night."

He didn't seem to be relaxing so I wasn't surprised when he spoke again.

"War, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." I told him for the fourth time this evening. "Just go to sleep, Baby."

His muscles loosened and he finally settled comfortably in my arms. I kissed the nape of his neck and got my sore muscles to relax as well.

"Don't tell anyone your dad beat me up."

My little pissant chuckled.


	46. There's A Stag At My Table

**I hate my job. Disorganized, never get paid on payday cuz they never have enough money to do so...bleh, new job time! Hehe...**

**I'm so tired...and I just ate a store-bought blueberry muffin that the adorable old lesbian couple down the road brought my dad...and that shit is sitting in my belly like a rock...I really don't eat cruddy food anymore...I wish I'd thought to just steam some green beans...**

**AH! Speaking of vegetables, my seedlings in my garden got the shit kicked out of them during that fucking huge storm we just had...it looked like someone sliced my watermelon sprout in half...the poor thing D:**

**Another day of the final week of Oxygen is gone. The next chapter will be a Tuesday...hopefully not another month from now XDD **

**I'd get started on it now, but it's almost 1AM, and I've got a couple of seeds to replant and a new job hunt to start...and I'm exhausted...**

**I'm actually pretty stoked about this final week of Oxygen. I've been working my way here for two pathetic years, and I'll be sad to see it go...sniffle...to think I started out with demure, childish Harry Potter plotty fanfiction that had no romance whatsoever. My writing was less dialogue and more details back then...kinda sad because I'm always struggling for a balance...**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I jumped awake at the loud urging of an alarm clock. Beside me, I watched Warren turn over towards me quickly. A heated arm soared over me and slammed down on the snooze button. Gratefully, I closed my eyes again. The pyro's limb rested limply over my back, a breathy sigh warming the side of my face. A muscle or two stiffened slightly as the warmth of his arm touched what was left of the burn.

"I hate Mondays." He grumbled.

Snorting, I turned off of my stomach and onto my side to face him.

"We have exactly nine minutes before it goes off again," I smirked sleepily, leaning in to nuzzle his neck. Lazily, I lapped at the hollow in the base of his throat. In response, the pyro sighed again, "Mhm,"

Those nine minutes apparently went by in a flash because the alarm was suddenly going off again. This time, I reached and pressed down the snooze bar gently, learning to be kind to clocks with my returning strength. Looking at the time, I realized that we didn't have a whole lot of it to get ready and catch the bus.

Frowning, I caressed the face of my lover. Nine minutes ago I'd been _attempting_ to…well…heh…

He took a deep breath and mumbled, "Time to get up."

Smiling, I leaned in to kiss him. The pyro's large, warm palm came up and pressed against the back of my head, kissing me harder. But then he winced and leaned back, grimacing. Worriedly, I looked at the cut on his lower lip. "I'm sorry."

He snorted, pushing himself up, "If I have to say 'it's not your fault' one more time, I'll swat you."

I rolled onto my back, and placed my hands on his sides as he attempted to climb over me. This forced him to pause.

"Promise?" I asked, smirking. "I'd prefer on my ass."

"You horny or something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Moving his weight to one hand, the right moved down to fold around my erection. Pressing my lips together didn't quiet the moan.

"You are." He chuckled.

"Well, we _were_ interrupted yesterday." I countered, still able to feel the _pleasant_ ache of the burn on my back. Gasping, I moved my hand down to grasp at the front of his tented boxers. Growling, he leaned down and caught my lower lip in between his teeth, rubbing my covered cock. My back arched, hips pressing into his touch, groaning. The pyro kissed his way down to my belly, fingers hooking in my waistband.

Then that fucking clock went off again, making us both jump.

Groaning in frustration, he pressed his face against my navel, listening to the alarm blare.

"I hate high school." I grumbled, reaching to turn it off.

Warren's breath was hot and moist against my belly, "Me too," he murmured. I found the pyro's tongue to be _hotter_ and _wetter_.

"Warren, the bus," I sat up, chuckling and running my fingers through his hair.

"We'll take my bike." He said dismissively, clearing my boxer briefs out of the path his tongue was taking.

The muscles in my neck went flax, dropping my head back. I fell back onto my elbows, and moaned like I was in heat. Well, technically, I was _in_ heat. _Engulfed_ in heat. The _glorious_ heat of the pyro's mouth. My whole body shuddered as Warren's tongue moved roughly against me, his lips tugging gently, and then sucking hard.

"Warren! Hate to be _that_ person, but you two had better get a move on!" Came a call from downstairs.

Warren pulled off of me, sighing hard.

I was blushing.

The elder shook his head at me, "C'mon, Stronghold. Get up, now."

"Your mother knew what we were," I started and he chuckled, getting off the bed. As the pyro pulled on a pair of jeans, he said, "Yeah, she knew. She's an empath. I don't think that pleasure is exactly a quiet thing."

I got out of bed and pulled clothes out of my bag to dress in. "I didn't even know she was here."

Warren picked up a shirt, and waved a hand, "Half the time I don't even know. She keeps crazy hours."

"Hey, put this one on instead." I instructed, tossing him a shirt from my bag.

He caught it and smirked down at the phoenix. "Want it to smell like me again?"

"Yes," I quickly answered, stepping into a pair of jeans, uncomfortably adjusting my _very_ slowly waning erection. "That way I can borrow it again."

He shook his head, but still pulled on the shirt. "Anything for you, Baby."

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I was more focused this high-flying ride, so I didn't burn up Stronghold's clothes. The brawn seemed to appreciate it.

He also had seemed to appreciate the fact that I didn't tease him when he went bright red once we'd gotten downstairs to grab a quick piece of toast and my mom had been there sipping her tea. "I'd hate to see what color you'd turn if I'd gone up and knocked on the door." She'd said good-heartedly, trying to get a laugh out of the brawn. He hadn't laughed, just turned redder and said nothing.

We were running a little bit late, so the buses were getting ready to leave once the floating school came into sight through the clouds. But of course, the steps and the lawns were still filled with students. I picked a point, pulled up, and landed rolling.

People stopped and stared, but I paid them no mind. I let my fire go out, and the smoke cleared. Kicking down the stand, I reached back and helped Stronghold off. Once he unbuckled his helmet and pulled it off, I vaguely heard some shocked gasps, murmurs and buzzing. I swung off, ignoring them, taking my helmet off as well.

Hanging it off the handlebars, I brushed my hair back and looked at Stronghold.

He'd taken off his backpack and was holding it in front of himself, blushing a little bit. Snorting, I leaned in and asked, "Still got a boner?"

"_No_…This one isn't the same one…" he sniffed, scuffing the toe of his sneaker against the asphalt.

The ride was probably the cause of that. I didn't blame him. Flying was a powerful thing, and flying while riding bitch on a motorcycle behind your lover? Come on. Just thinking about that ride with him, and the things we tried to get up to this morning made my veins blaze and my cock twitch in interest.

"Your fans ought to like that." I smirked, giving him a good-natured push. "I gotta go to class, Stronghold."

"No kiss?" He chuckled, catching the sleeve of my jacket.

I shook my head, "Nope."

He pretended to pout, "You always kiss me after a ride."

"PDA's not my style, Stronghold." I said over my shoulder as I started walking away.

I heard him laugh, "Yeah, see you around."

People parted out of my way as I moved up the steps. Their murmuring quieted until it seemed to them that I was out of earshot.

"Was that Will Stronghold?"

"I thought they hated each other."

"I saw them all buddy-buddy in the hall the other day."

Someone stepped on my foot. It was some little freshman punk with a spray of curly red hair under a baseball cap. "Whoa, sorry." He flinched away when I paused and glared down at him. But he kept on moving, like he was in a big hurry to get somewhere, even before he'd stepped on my foot. As I moved into the building, I glanced down the hallway to my left and saw him talking to that goody-two-shoes senior Grayson.

I shook my head to myself, and kept walking. Grayson was attractive, too pink and primped for my taste, but the bonehead had no chance asking her out.

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

"Well, Will, I gotta say, that was pretty hot." Magenta said, as I moved up the steps with the gang.

"…Was that a pun?" Ethan asked.

The Goth smirked back at him, twirling a purple pen between her fingers, "Yes, yes it was."

Zack nodded, "Good one."

Layla smiled, "I'll admit, it _was_ punny."

I was still holding my bag over my stiffened crotch. Zack and Ethan had noticed, but didn't say anything, thankfully. They knew how it was, they were guys.

Magenta wasn't as kind. "It must've been _especially_ hot since he's sportin' a woody."

"Oh, come on, Maj." I complained, blushing red. The Goth just chortled to herself, pressing the pen to her lip. Holding my bag a little closer to my front, I contemplated breaking away from the group. It might've saved me a bit of embarrassment. Didn't seem to be running out of that this morning.

"Speaking of woody, I spy Layla's squeeze." Maj added, pointing out the tall Junior.

"Maj," The nature-lover scolded quietly, color rising to her pale, freckled skin. But she still managed to raise a hand to wave when Stagboy saw her. He was in front of his open-locker, tying his long, brown hair back into a low tail. He smiled, his teeth showing a bit from around the folded piece of paper between his lips, and his bright forest green eyes visibly shining.

I had to admit it to myself…again…the guy wasn't exactly unattractive. I thought back to when Layla had told me that Silvanus had had…_relations_ with Warren. Surprisingly, I still felt that small twinge of jealousy. Maybe only a dash of feeling sexually threatened. Silvanus Lombardi was pretty hot…but it seemed that Warren didn't have any interest in the guy.

Therefore, I couldn't hold it against him at all. Especially when Layla blushed all to hell when the stag leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. They looked pretty damn happy together, if they were officially together or not, I didn't know. We really hadn't talked much lately.

Zack leaned down and murmured, "He asked her to the Snow Ball over the weekend."

Raising my eyebrows, I glanced up at him, "He did?" She hadn't said anything about it when we'd been talking on the phone last night. But then again, that was Layla. When I was confiding my problems, she would listen intently and patiently. I guess I hadn't given her the chance. "That's _this_ Saturday, right?"

The giant didn't answer, but looked on at the light conversation with his own bit of jealousy. And then he glanced longingly at Magenta.

Sighing deeply to myself, I wondered if I was going to be forced to give Zack another pep talk, or listen to him as he pined away for her to me. While I knew very well that opposites attract, I puzzled once in a while why he had such an affinity for Maj. She was a bit rude, insulting at times, and _scary_ when she was mad.

_Well…so is Warren…_

They were both just likeable, I supposed.

"What about you guys? Are you going to the Snow Ball? I heard there's going to be snow." Silvanus turned to us, including us in the conversation.

_So damn friendly,_ I smiled to myself.

"Well, uh, I-I dunno," Zack shrugged, stammering a little, looking down at Maj, "Going to a Ball seems kinda stupid."

"I think I'm gonna go," Magenta said.

Immediately, Zack jumped on it, "Me too."

_Very subtle, man._

Ethan nodded, and smiled triumphantly, "I'm going. With Trina Ballston."

Silvanus tilted his head slightly, "That's the blonde girl who turns into a-"

"A ball, yes." Ethan finished, still smiling as he pushed up his glasses.

"Good for you," Layla smiled, patting him on the shoulder. She seemed genuinely proud of him despite once having a crush on him a while ago. Then again, she was standing next to a six foot something Stag with a love of nature, it's creatures, saving the environment, eating vegetarian, and…well, pretty much Layla's wet dream.

_Ooh…that was…uncomfortable… _I thought to myself. I didn't really ever picture Layla as anything but innocent. Then that got me wondering just how much she and Silvanus had possibly been up to. _She'd probably hold onto her virtue longer than I did…_

Magenta asked curiously, "When did you and her start hanging out?"

Ethan slanted a look at her and chuckled, "She's my Mad Science lab partner…?"

"Huh, how very observant of me." She pursed her lips, tucking her pen behind an ear.

"What about you Will? You going?" Silvanus asked expectantly.

My thoughts turned to Warren. Was he the school dance type? Ha, dumb question, that'd be a big fat nope. "Uh, I haven't really thought about it." I replied, reaching up to brush my hand through my hair.

"You should ask Warren to go!" Layla smiled excitedly.

Magenta snorted.

Silvanus lifted his chin slightly, "Ah, so you are dating Warren Peace." He smiled, "He must really like you, because all the time I've known him, he's never exactly been the dating type."

I smiled back at the stag. He really was a damn good guy. Then I sighed. "Can you really imagine Warren going to a school dance, though? I mean, really?" I asked dully, but damn it all if I didn't sound disappointed myself. It was my first year at Sky High. I'd already missed out on Homecoming and I'd heard it'd been a hit. And so far I was hearing cool things about this Snow Ball thing. School dances were part of the high school experience. I wanted to go.

That might be a bit too normal for the type of relationship Warren and I had. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. Maybe if he knew what it meant to me.

I was saved from more of this conversation by the warning bell.

Silvanus sighed and looked down into Layla's eyes. It was soft and gentle green meeting vibrant and hard green, and it was almost hypnotic. "Well, I suppose I'll see you in lunch?"

She nodded wistfully, "Uh huh."

He gave the redhead a chaste kiss, closed his locker and then walked away. And when Layla finally looked back at us, we traded snorts, chuckles and titters. "What?" She asked, confused.

"You're so smitten." I said, finally able to sling my bag back over my shoulder.

Then the four of them cocked eyebrows at me. "You're one to talk." Magenta said.

"Yeah, no room to comment at all." Ethan shook his head, smiling good-naturedly.

Zack nodded in agreement.

So in turn, I pointed around our circle at them all, "Okay, nobody _here_ has room to talk on being smitten!"

Magenta tilted her head, "Uh,"

"Okay, except for you!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands and walking to my Hero Mad Science class.

* * *

I sat boldly in the seat directly to Warren's left when it came to be lunch time. He didn't even look up from his book. But he did acknowledge me, "Well, this is new." He didn't seem to object to it.

"Just trying it on," I chuckled, and then turned, gesturing to the group. "You might just hate me for this though."

Layla sat down across from the pyro. "Hi, Warren." She said pleasantly.

_That_ made the elder look up. "Whoa, whoa."

Silvanus sat on the redhead's left side. "Afternoon, Peace." The stag smiled. Magenta took up Layla's empty side, Ethan sat on Warren's right and Zack sat beside me.

Ethan chuckled, looking around Warren at me, "Remember when I said I felt extremely dangerous? Nothing compared to sitting at Warren's table."

"Will Trina be joining us?" I asked.

In return, he shrugged, "I don't know. She was still talking to Mr. Boy when we left class. I don't think she did very well on that last test."

"Speaking of that test, what did you get for that Tigerman question?" Magenta asked Layla. Silvanus looked on in interest, eating his salad as the two contemplated the question. I looked at Warren, and winced a bit.

He was cocking an eyebrow at me, glaring a little bit.

I bit my lip and then managed to say, "You were going to hang out with them at the beach in the park with me anyways. Had to meet them sometime."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Alright, _fine_."

"Do you remember their names?" I asked, smirking.

"Sure, I do." He replied gruffly. He then started pointing each one out with a name that most certainly wasn't their name. "Goth Chick. Hippie. Stagboy. Nerd. Surfer dude."

Layla smiled her gentle smile, picking up her pear to twist off the stem. "Close enough."

"I tend to prefer the term Intellectual." Ethan said, pushing up his glasses and demurely prodding at the peas on his tray.

Zack was going to town on a quesadilla, salsa on the corner of his mouth, "I'm perfectly okay being called Surfer Dude. It's better than Tinkerbelle."

Warren cocked a questioning eyebrow at the giant, "Tinkerbelle?"

The bleach blonde nodded, sloppily wiping at his mouth, "Yeah. I glow."

"_Okay_ then." The pyro muttered.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

This _certainly_ was new.

Admittedly, I wasn't entirely a fan. Lunch to me was a quick bite, and a sort of quiet hour with a book, a magazine, occasionally a comic. Now this was nuts. The conversation was right in my ears, I had the dweeble in orange talking around me to Surfer dude. Hippie was doing her best to include me in school work conversation, asking me what my Freshman year was like. Stagboy was filling in answers where I didn't on his own experience.

Stronghold was watching me warily. The attention of the rest of the cafeteria didn't seem to have anything better to do than watch what was usually just _my_ table.

Heaving a sigh, I closed my book, and rubbed at my eyes.

I glanced at him when he touched my shoulder. "If this is too much, we can leave you alone."

Shaking my head, I answered, "No, stay. I'll give it a few more minutes, then I'm just gonna head out, read outside or something."

The brawn nodded in understanding, and said nothing to object. Instead he moved on to another subject to be broached. "I guess when I get home, I'm gonna have a…well, a talk with my mom and dad. About you and me?"

Lips tightening, I felt obligated to ask, "Do you want me to be there?" _I could call out of work._

He smiled, sipping from the water bottle he'd bought, "It's so flattering that you wanna meet my parents."

Cocking an eyebrow at him, he relented the tease, "But no, that's alright. I think that I need to tread lightly on this. Dad did bust the house all to hell over it so…baby steps."

"Baby steps," I repeated, chuckling. I'd said the same thing to him, so why not go with it.

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I had initially hoped that I'd at least get some time to myself upon arriving home. Luck wasn't exactly on my side that afternoon as Layla and I walked into view of our houses. Both cars were in the driveway.

"They could be off on a call or something." The redhead offered.

I chuckled, "Maybe."

Dragging out the last yards to my front walk didn't really work, so I just jut out my chin and took a deep breath. Layla was over standing at the end of her path, giving me an apologetic look. "Just come on over if you need to get away." She said.

"Thanks, Lay." I replied, grateful for the offer of sanctuary. However, I was hoping that the evening wouldn't turn out like that. _Sincerely_ hoping.

As I finally turned and made my way towards the porch, I tried not to recall how I had left this place last night with sheetrock and dust in my hair. _Nope_, I told myself, _I won't let it go that far ever again. _I hoped Dad had thought the same thing even though he was privy to the occasional crushed telephone, squished silverware, and ripping the refrigerator door off of its hinges.

Once at the door, my hand hovered over the knob. Hoping for one last moment of prolonging this, I glance over at Layla's house to see if she wasn't inside yet. Maybe she'd let me come in for a little while. Luck again wasn't on my side. The nature-lover had already disappeared into her home.

_Damn it…_

So I sucked it up and went inside. There was no call, and no noise other than some soft music coming from Mom's study. I took my time untying my shoes, and hanging up my hoodie and bag. For a minute, I just looked around.

There was a larger than normal vacuum cleaner rolled off to one side, some wood stain cans sitting by the stairs. Leaning to one side, I saw that through the living room, Dad was outside, dressed in paint-stained jeans and a flannel, refitting a new sliding glass door. He didn't seem to notice me, so I quickly shuffled out of sight.

I thought about going up to my room to see if the damage up there had been taken care of. But Mom appeared from the hallway, the soft music having been shut off.

"Hey, kid." She said light-heartedly, cleaning off the lenses of her glasses on the hem of her shirt.

"Hey," I said meekly.

She gestured to the kitchen, "Let's go to the kitchen, you can help me do the dishes."

Nodding agreeably, I followed her. We had a dishwasher, but when she and I needed to talk we did the dishes together. Filling the dishpan with warm, soapy water two a couple minutes, and while waiting we said nothing.

Then she pushed up her sleeves and spoke. "Your father's been working on the house all day."

"By himself?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yep. He wanted to do it by himself. It's calming I suppose. And I guess he's trying to do penance." Mom handed me a plate and I pulled the towel from the end of a drawer to start drying.

I didn't say anything to that.

"You still mad at him?"

Looking up at her, I pressed my lips together. "Well…he kind of…you know."

She nodded, "I know."

The woman still watched me from behind her glasses as I set down the plate and took the bowl she offered. "He told me that when he saw the two of you…and the flames, all he could think was that Baron Battle had escaped from the Citadel and he was hurting you."

"Warren's not his father. He's _nothing_ like him." I snapped, drying the bowl a little more forcefully. Quickly, I reigned myself in. I wasn't going to break stuff up when I was mad or frustrated like Dad.

"Will, sweetie, do you at least see it from your father's point of view?" She asked.

_Damn her practicality…_

"Yeah, I know how Dad saw it. But he didn't beat up an old nightmare, he beat up my boyfriend." I put the bowl down, resigned. If this was the way the evening was going to go, I wasn't looking forward to it. If it was going to turn into the blame game, I was just going to go right over to Layla's and force myself to eat whatever leafy casserole they were having for dinner.

Mom was gentle when she spoke again, handing me some silverware. "I understand that, Will. And trust me, he does too. I'll tell you right now that he's still trying to wrap his head around it, and doing his best to not think about the explanation you gave for the burn Warren gave you."

I blushed, looking away from her. Now it was awkward. "It's just what I like, Mom. I can't help the way I feel. I'm not sick or anything."

"Oh sweetie, I know you're not. I'm trained in psychology. I get that everyone's nervous system is wired differently. Masochism is completely normal. There's a whole culture based on that kind of thing."

My face seemed to turn redder, "Okay, can we stop talking about my sex life? I know I'm fifteen, but I'm sort of getting a handle on it."

She smiled softly, "Okay. Just one question though?"

"Yeah…?" I warily left it open for her to ask away.

"Does he listen to you when it comes to that sort of thing?" She asked, concern making its way into her voice a bit. I chuckled, "Trust me, Mom. When it comes to that sort of thing, he hasn't done a single thing to me that doesn't feel great."

A slight blush crept into her cheeks and then she laughed. "I'm glad you had the courage to say that to me. I feel much better, and I'm going to do my best to not think of that ever again."

"Please," I nodded, taking the small stack of plates I'd gathered and putting them in the cupboard.

* * *

We ended up making stuffed shells. Those big pasta shells, stuffed with ricotta cheese which is too damn good. I'd gotten my hand slapped a couple of times when Mom had caught me dipping a finger into the small tub for a taste. We didn't have any vegetables in the fridge, and we agreed that frozen spinach always turned into goopy green mush when cooked. So I went over to Layla's to mooch some green beans out of her garden.

The nature-lover laughed, and led me through the house and into the back yard where they had the greenhouse set up to protect the garden from any unexpected frost or chilly weather.

"How's it going over there?" She asked as she crouched down next to some bright green plants.

I knelt down on the other side of the garden box next to a plant that looked like the one she was beside. Brushing some leaves out of the way, I saw some green beans hanging down. "Oh, look at that. It's going good. Me and Mom talked a little when I got home. I haven't talked to Dad yet. He's been doing some…home repair."

I started picking a couple. I didn't want to take too much so it wouldn't go to waste. Not that anything that Layla gave us from the garden ever did, but still.

"She asked me about my sex life."

Layla paused and looked over at me. Then she put the green beans she'd gathered in a container, brushing off her hands. "Yeah?"

I knew she was curious, but being very polite about it. Or cautious. It was merited given all the times I'd just blown up, telling her to mind her own business.

"I uh, well, you know that I'm into…and uh, they know now too." I carried on, stupidly. She pressed her lips together, "Yeah. I mean, it's not any of my business."

I looked down at my shoes. _Damn…_

She quickly waved a hand, "That doesn't mean I think any less of you, Will! I mean, you and I always talked about secret things, then we got into high school, and it kind of died out."

Guilt went through me a little, because I did miss talking about everything with her. "Yeah I know, you didn't even tell me that Silvanus asked you to the Snow Ball when we were talking last night."

She stood with the green beans, "You had a rough night. You needed to talk and I didn't want to just turn everything over to me."

"You're a great friend, you know that?"

The nature-lover laughed that loud, contagious laugh, "Yes, I do know."

I dropped the green beans I'd picked into the container and followed her back through the house. Once we got back out on her porch, I saw a familiar Versa pull up in front of the house.

"Who's that?"

"It's Gwen." I replied curiously, "Wonder what she's here for. We don't have a tutoring session planned."

Gwen got out of her car, her hair twisted neatly up with chopsticks. She saw me and waved at us with a smile.

Layla shrugged, "Well, only one way to find out."


	47. No One More Than You

**I've been watching an awful lot of Doctor Who lately, and I think I'm nearly caught up which kind of sucks, but you know...**

**Oh, I also spent almost 300 dollars on myself this week. Bought some stones, a big HUGE hammock since my old one decided to break with me in it, HDMI cable so my Kindle and my television can have...relations, a custom rainstick made from a cactus, an ocarina (yes, you Zelda fans, I'm that much cooler), some more white sage since my plants are having trouble growing, and a used violin even though I've never played a single note on the violin...hehe...**

**After all how much more different can a violin be from guitar (acoustic and electric), wood flute, conga or djembe? GASP! Tawny is versed in all those instruments?! That's...Sexy...**

**That reminds me, I'd like all of you to tag on 'Sexy' to whatever you refer to me as. Sexy King of the Sickos. Sexy Pineapple Andro. Sexy Tawny. Sexy TawnyTheDisturbed. Then my favorite and I quote aside from me tagging Sexy onto it: "SERIOUSLY AWESOME AND WONDERFULLY AMAZING AND BRILLIANTLY LOVELY AND SERIOUSLY SUPER AND TOTALLY OUTSTANDING AND SERIOUSLY FANTASTIC Sexy WRITER!" Gods, I love that one. That was a shout-out to little Anna, a darling reader of my sicko army that always has plenty of praise that I didn't get enough of in High School. **

**Oh look, it's very early Thursday morning...merely a week from the last update. I'm probably not going to finish this before the Solstice like I boasted, but at the least I will make it weekly uploads for Oxygen here on out. **

**Friendly Neighborhood Countdown says that this chapter, Chapter 47 takes place on a Tuesday. It's long and hard...oh, me and my innuendo. Our Friendly Neighborhood Countdown is also telling me that the final chapter is near and is Chapter 50. Only 3 actual chapters left...and an epilogue if you all behave...so that might be Chapter 51 as final.**

**My, my, my, the suspense is killing me ^_^**

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

The bus jerked hard, banking left as Ron Wilson, bus driver called out, "Birds!" My head smacked against the window, leaving a fairly sized crack that spread out like a spider web. Zack was leaning heavily on me, trying to grab onto the seat, crying out. "Oh my God! Oh my God!"

Ron Wilson, bus driver, leveled out, and called over his shoulder, "Sorry!"

Zack hyperventilated for a second and then looked at me, "Whoa, dude, is your head okay?"

Rubbing at my temple, I looked at the injured glass, "Better than the window. Ron's gonna have a fun time replacing that."

Magenta snorted from where she was in the seat beside us next to Ethan who was adjusting his glasses. Layla was trying to put her hair back into the tie of her now sloppy ponytail, "Okay. So anyways, you were saying?"

Coming out of my haze of concern for the extra work I'd given Ron Wilson, bus driver, I looked around at them. "Oh, well, we went in the house, and she and my Mom and I made some small talk about school and stuff. She fixed the disposal, and then Dad came in. He looked a little shocked to see her to be honest."

Then I chuckled, "He was probably hoping maybe that I wasn't into Warren anymore. And then we ended up sitting down to dinner and she asked if my parents would come to the Snow Ball to receive an alumni award for being the greatest Heroes ever or something."

"Did they say yes?" Zack asked.

I scoffed, "They're not _that_ modest. Of course they accepted. Then Gwen left, and before I went up to bed after cleaning up, Dad stopped me and said he was sorry. I swear it was the most awkward thing in the world. I felt obligated to tell him it was okay, almost guilty about how guilty he felt. It seriously was the weirdest thing in my life."

Rubbing at my face, I tried to put away my mental recall. It had been so uncomfortable talking to Dad. But I ended up recalling it anyways.

_"Listen, Will. I know I reacted very…badly. Horribly. I'm really, _very_ sorry. I was just…well to be honest I was scared."_

_ "He wasn't doing anything I didn't want him to." I blurted, instantly regretting it. Color creeped to both of our faces in the process. _

And when he'd asked if my relationship was safe, I'd felt too awkward to become even remotely defensive. I _was_ tired of everyone expecting Warren to be this big, mean villain-waiting-to-happen. But even then, all I could do was just reassure my father that I was perfectly safe with Warren, and I'd never been happier.

"Then he said that he and Mom wanted to _meet_ Warren…"

"I'm sorry, Will, but I dunno if that's really any more awkward than when my sister's face attached itself to my crotch when she magnetized…things aren't the same between us anymore." Zack shuddered.

I couldn't help the snort that escaped. Ethan and Layla were looking like they were holding back some chuckles as well. Magenta outright tittered, then covered her mouth with a couple of knuckles.

Zack nearly said that it wasn't funny, but just ended up blushing to himself.

Ron set the bus down as gently as he could on the school's parking lot. Still bumpy, but smoother than usual. The poor guy was trying to make up for the Red Baron dodge he'd pulled up there. So in sympathy, I gave him a respectful nod and a smile as we disembarked.

A decently chilly breeze came across the floating island. Against it, I zipped up my hoodie and tucked my hands in my pockets. The sun was shining so it wasn't _too_ cold at least. Unaffected by the chill, Magenta seemed to swagger as we headed up the stairs, the back of her long jacket billowing behind her. It was that duster she'd talked about. To be honest, she looked like a vampire hunter cowboy going to a Goth rave or something. But it was distinctly her.

Zack still watched her with an air of longing about him.

Silently, I wished Magenta would quit letting it carry on like that. According to Layla, the Goth was aware of the giant's affection. So why not put it down or coax it? Then it hit me, that was most likely why she was actually going to the Snow Ball.

_Ooh, deviant…_I thought. Then I thought about the dark chocolate eyes that so often made their way into my thoughts. _Aw, why the hell not? What's the worst he could say? No? Then we'll just stay home and have hot, kinky sex all night._

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

With a long sigh, I heaved myself out of the seat on the bus. I'd thought about maybe taking my bike to school today, but I was exhausted. For some odd reason, on a fucking Monday night, the restaurant had gotten slammed. Raped. Had to call in some who'd had the night off, and we still ended up staying till nearly midnight, trying to clean up.

When I'd finally gotten home and dropped into my bed after a shower, I'd realized I'd gotten a couple of texts. From Stronghold.

He'd just said _**Talk went ok**__,_ and then _**Must be a busy night, huh?**_

I hadn't even realized that he'd sent me messages. And I was too tired to even thumb out an apology and a reply. Even then, I didn't manage to fall asleep for another couple of hours. I'd laid there thinking about how I had to tell him. How much I wanted to tell him. But also how much I didn't want to tell him. Because it would make this just implode in on itself.

I told myself that what I'd done with the dishwasher hadn't meant anything and I believe it. I had no feelings for the green-haired fuck whatsoever. And all I'd thought about was Stronghold. I realized it wasn't the right outlet. That pushing him away to keep him safe wasn't the answer. Royal Pain was dead for real now. He couldn't touch him. And I had a feeling that his death would have occurred even faster if I had just kept the brawn close and had accepted all of the emotions and feelings I had for him.

Trudging up the steps, I held back a yawn. The sun breached the clouds, sending a few blinding rays down onto the school. Still moving, I basked in it. Heat was always comforting. Heat never changed. Despite the cold, heat never stopped being heat. Like the heat in my veins. But I suppose that occasionally burned hotter. Especially when I caught sight of my little pissant disappear into the entrance of the school.

I just wanted to kiss him.

Later on, I would invoke my right to do so.

* * *

It was right as the halls cleared out as the fifth period began. He was at his pig-sty of a locker.

"You really are a slob." I said, shaking my head, plucking at a wrinkled pile of paper on the shelf. The brawn chuckled, glancing around. Then he looped his fingers around one of my wrists, "Is it PDA if no one's around?"

I didn't even make a show of thinking about it, not joining his joking sort of beat around the bush game. I just leaned down and kissed him, taking his lower lip into my mouth. My hand went gently to the back of his head, and smoothed down his hair to caress the nape of his neck. _And just to tease…_

The brawn drew in a hiss when the tip of my finger dragged a small flame along the back of neck. And then Stronghold shuddered out a quiet sigh as I pulled away, pressing my forehead to his, thumb stroking at the small burn.

"I missed that." He chuckled breathlessly.

"Yeah…me too." I muttered.

He cleared his throat and pulled away, yanking a couple of textbooks out of the monstrosity of a locker. This in turn caused a notebook to tumble out to the floor, thankfully not spilling any stray papers.

As I bent down to pick it up, Stronghold asked, "So have you heard about the uh, the Snow Ball thing?"

The brawn thanked me when I handed the notebook back to him. The nervous gleam in his eyes made me smile. Was the guy seriously about to ask me to a dance?

"Yeah, I've seen a couple of fliers around." I replied, watching him shuffle his feet and shove the notebook back into the mess, closing the door to prevent any more spills. It was almost adorable. It was a bit like when we'd first met, when he'd asked me to 'hang out' with him again. I frowned at the memory, thinking about how I'd beat him up the first moment I had alone with him.

Of course both of us had found it sort of thrilling…but still…that was a little a fucked up. Sure, burning up your lover's flesh with fire wasn't exactly pure and normal either but…

"I'm thinking about going," he said, smiling docilely up at me.

Tucking my hair behind and ear, I shrugged, "I'm in then." And I added a smile.

I watched him swallow hard and then he asked, "R-really?"

"Yeah, why not?" I leaned in as if to kiss him. His eyes started to sink closed. Right before our lips touched, I grumbled, pulling away slightly to leave him hanging, "But I'm _not_ renting a tux."

* * *

"So, you said yes," Hippie said, happily plopping down beside me where I sat against one of the short walls outside. I'd been sitting there, nose in a magazine reading an article about a guy who traveled the world on his bike. Well, sort of reading, I was also dozing.

"Oh for fuck's sake," I grunted, rubbing at my eyes. "Don't tell me the rest of the crew is coming down to graciously join me for lunch out here."

Chuckling, the redhead shook her head. "No. I came out here to see if you wanted to come in."

I shook my head back at her, "Too noisy. I'm not in the mood for it today."

Hippie shrugged, "Suit yourself. But I'm sure it would make Will pretty happy." It was bait and I knew it, so I put it down, "I agreed to be his dance partner to this Ball thing this weekend. Stronghold's probably already tickled pink as it is."

She smirked, "I didn't know you could dance."

"You don't know the first thing about me, Hippie. And I doubt if any one of you will get me to dance."

The redhead tilted her head, "Then why don't you let us learn you?"

"I'm sleeping," I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall.

"Tonight then. We're talking about trying to go to the park. Have a fire, roast some marshmallows." She smiled invitingly.

"Oh give me a break,"

She touched my shoulder, "Oh c'mon."

"How do you know I don't have work tonight?" I inquired, brushing her dainty fingers off of me. In turn, Hippie offered me a threat, "Okay, I'll just go to the cafeteria and tell them all where you are."

"_Fine_, fine. I'll go." I grunted, closing my eyes. "Now will you leave me alone?"

The redhead nudged my arm, and then stood, gathering her bag. "It's wonderful to know that Will's always had such pleasant company when he's not hanging out with us."

Snorting, I looked up at her, "I doubt that any sort of company he keeps with you provides him with as much _pleasure_ as mine does. And I do mean that quite literally." Smirking devilishly up at her got the reaction I'd been fishing for.

She blushed, "Well, then, uh see you later."

"See you around, Hippie." I replied, chuckling in my triumph, looking back to the magazine in my lap.

"Hey, Layla. Where you goin'?"

Looking back up, I saw Stronghold coming down the steps, half a sandwich covered in plastic wrap in his hand. The brawn zipped up his hoodie as Hippie replied, "I'm just gonna head to the cafeteria. I'll see you later." She threw me a smirk over her shoulder. Kind of playfully spiteful, like a _ha-ha you don't get quiet time after_ all kind of smirk.

"Okay, guess I'll see you in the halls or after classes or something." Stronghold said, giving her a wave.

Then his attention was focused down on me. "Well, you look beautiful." He chuckled, sitting down on the short wall.

I cocked an eyebrow up at him in response.

He laughed, "What's the matter? Didn't get any sleep last night?"

Chuckling, I reached up to rub at my eyes, "Barely. I'm _still_ stirring beef and broccoli in my head."

Stronghold grimaced, "Gross." Then he slid down and sat companionably beside me. "I didn't sleep much either, I had a Super Psych paper due. Come home on the bus with me then. We can nap on the couch."

I shook my head, "Then how am I gonna get home?"

He leaned his head down on my shoulder. That was new. Gestures of that sort mostly stayed in private while naked, sprawled out and completely spent on a mattress…

"True. So, I imagine Layla's already told you that we were planning on all going to the park tonight. Do you want to go?" He crossed his arms against a cool breeze, scooting a tad bit closer to my body with its heated comfort.

"I said I'd go." I answered, looking down at the brawn. He glanced up, and smiled. So, I pressed my lips to his hair and murmured, "Take the bus back down with me. We'll just get on my bike and head to your place."

"Still don't give a damn what people think?" He smiled a little wider, tilting his head back, blatantly looking for a kiss. After leaving him hanging earlier, I decided that it was fair to oblige. After all, I wanted to take what I could get, treasure it while I could.

"Only care what you think really…" I muttered against his lips.

_Today. No, tonight. No, now. Later…fuck…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I had initially hoped that we'd get down to some…more intimate business once arriving at my house. Especially after the initial thrill of the looks we'd received when I took the bus down to the ground with him, in his seat. To a bus stop where his motorcycle was sitting in a parking lot nearby. The thrill of the ride to my house definitely held sway over my intent _to...sexualize_ our afternoon.

But Warren had turned down an offer to go up to my room, easily opting for the living room. He'd asked me if I had homework to do, to which I'd begrudgingly replied "Yes." And it had literally turned into a joint homework, study session.

That was after he'd inquired about the previous damage to the house which seemed to have been completely righted in just two days. With the absence of a new coat of paint over the white smudges of new walling and trim.

I'd never talked to the firebird about schoolwork ever really. Always I believe I had assumed that he didn't care about it at all. But it turned out, that Warren was incredibly book smart. He knew the answers off the top of his head or barely without a thought.

Occasionally, I'd glanced over at the paper he was writing for an experiment he'd apparently been conducting. Amplified combustion utilized for flight. Translated: set your pyrokinetic self on fire while riding about 90 miles an hour on a motorcycle right off of the ground into the air.

Apparently, Warren had been lightly admonished for pulling such a dangerous stunt, riding his bike to school, but then was given permission to do so along with other students capable of flight. He had authorization to follow the school buses stream trails without being calculated as a threat, and was given a courtesy note when the school would change location.

At one point, I looked over, and saw the pyro dozing off. His pencil was lightly trapped between his fingers, his paper in his lap on top of a textbook. So I took the book away, and gently took the pencil. "Hey," I murmured quietly, brushing my hand through his hair.

"Mm," He replied, opening his eyes slightly as I guided his body down to lay completely across the couch. "Quit babying me, Stronghold." He grumbled, closing his eyes again.

"Shut up and let me be the little spoon." I mock-grumbled back, laying down beside him. After scooting so my back was pressed firmly against his chest, I found his wrist and pulled his arm around me. I felt his breath sigh against the back of my neck, "I'm so fuckin' tired." I laced my fingers in between his, adjusting my cheek on the large throw pillow we shared. "Yeah, it's catching up with me too," I replied, closing my eyes.

* * *

"Will? Sweetie?"

A soft hand combed through my hair.

Opening my eyes, I looked up and saw Mom leaning over the arm of the couch. I glanced over my shoulder, and saw that Warren was stirring as well.

She smiled softly, "It's about six o'clock. Are you two hungry?"

"Uh," I got out, rubbing at my eyes. Warren sat up warily behind me.

"I made Manhattan chowder, and grilled chicken sandwiches." She still smiled, focusing gently on the pyro.

"Hello, Warren. I'm Josie Stronghold. Will's mom. We haven't properly met." She held out a hand and I watched Warren take it cautiously. But he politely nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Stronghold." Mom nodded back, not upset by the fact he didn't call her by her first name. Or not inclined to push it.

"Is Dad here?" I asked.

She nodded soberly, "He's setting the table."

Warren stiffened visibly.

She held up a hand, and added, "For four?"

I looked at the pyro, and said quietly, "You don't have to,"

Mom touched my shoulder comfortingly, "Please stay for dinner, Warren. Everything will be civil, I promise." She sounded so sincere to me, appeasing and comforting. And while I quickly questioned how civil it would be, I was inclined to believe her.

"You can leave _anytime_. No questions asked." She reassured us, stepping back to allow room to get up. We were still for a moment. I looked at my firebird, "Warren?"

He averted his gaze, running his tongue along the cut on his lip, remembering the last time he was here. But he carefully nodded, "Okay."

I got up as he did, and said to Mom, "We're gonna meet Layla and some friends at the park at seven for a little fire on the beach. Is that okay?" Quickly, the woman nodded, a little excited as she led the way to the dining room, "Yes, that's absolutely fine."

Dad was just setting down the last bit of silverware. Each side of the table was equipped with a chair, a plate with a fantastic looking sandwich and a bowl of soup with steam rising off the top. He looked up, and wiped his hands on the back of his pants even though they weren't dirty or wet. After pressing his lips together, he held out a large hand towards Warren.

"Steven Stronghold. It's uh, nice to meet you, _Warren_."

Carefully, the pyro took Dad's hand and shook it.

"I'm uh, really sorry about the…well, the other day."

Warren nodded, letting go of the man's hand and only said, "Yeah."

_Well, this is awkward…_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

I shook my head, sipping from the water bottle I'd been handed. "At least the food was good." I grunted.

Glowstick (now named because of the way he'd actually lit right up to show off his power in the darkness) chuckled lightly, "That sucks, man."

Stronghold cut in, holding a marshmallow over the fire I'd made, "I'm just glad nobody hit anybody again."

Stagboy's eyes widened a little and he asked, "Again?" He looked at Hippie, "Again?"

Cocking an eyebrow at the guy, I pointed at the fading bruises on my face, "This wasn't some buzzed fight at the _Cue_. I went a few rounds with The Commander on Sunday."

Hippie added, "Which is why I called off coming here." She gestured around. There were a few other campfires since it was still early. The park was open to the neighborhood but it was…_frowned_ upon to be there past nine on a weeknight. I looked over to the boathouse and smirked to myself. While I had been marginally unkind the last time I'd been in there, it sure was a hell of a ride.

Just for giggles, I breathed more life into a particular flame in the fire. It wrapped itself around Stronghold's marshmallow. "Whoa, okay," He brought it out and blew out the flame. I made it come back. He blew it out three more times before he let out an "Ohhh!" and gave me a shove, wiping the singed sugar carcass on a rock.

Gothchick sniggered, licking chocolate from her fingertips. "I like Warren."

Stronghold rolled his eyes, reaching for the marshmallow bag, "He's an ass."

"You're a pissant," I countered, giving the bag a nudge to the side with a boot. He cocked an eyebrow at me and tsked, "Just because you don't like them doesn't mean you gotta ruin it for everyone." He made another grab for them, and I kicked the bag this time.

"Not everyone, Stronghold, just you." I smirked.

The brawn made a dive for them this time. Right over me, effectively spilling us both on the ground from the log we'd been seated on.

"Now, boys," Hippie called from as we scrapped on the ground over the stupid gelatin sugar fluffs. "If we can't play nice, we can't play together."

"I never thought I'd see two arch-nemesis' rolling on the ground over a bag of marshmallows." Popsicle (new name after hearing someone else call him that and remembering the time I saw him melt from the top of a cafeteria table) said. Stronghold pinned me to the ground by holding a wrist firmly against my chest, and snatching the bag out of my free hand. He gave me a devilish smirk and pulled a white lump from the bag. Panting, he popped it into his mouth. I shook my head up at him, "Well, that's gross."

He chuckled, cheeked it, "Deal with it." He leaned down a bit and chuckled, "Despite a sugary, chocolate taste, I'm sure you'll enjoy my kisses later on."

Shrugging, I replied, "Never said I had anything against a piece of chocolate once in a while." He tilted his head down at me, "I'll remember that." Then he got off of me, and pulled me back up onto the log.

"Now that you're back, we were sort of talking about television," Stagboy offered with a gentle smile.

"Really, now?" I asked, brushing back my hair.

"Yeah, I saw on the news that they were going to do a special on Royal Pain since the whole…downtown, blowing up, Royal Pain dying…again, thing." Surfer Dude said.

At that I frowned a bit, looking over at the brawn. He was roasting himself another marshmallow. Then he raised a hand in a shrug, "People are curious. Hell, I'm curious. I thought the guy was dead. How did he come back? And how did he get back the Pacifier? It was sitting in the Sanctum…and no one can get in there except Mom, Dad and," he paused and looked at me.

The puzzled expression coming over his face made me puzzle back at him.

"Me…" the brawn finished. And then those blue eyes darkened a bit. Handing his roasting stick to Hippie, he said, "You guys stay here. Warren, can we talk for a minute? Over there?"

Now I was confused. The others looked up at us as we stood, not understanding the tone in Stronghold's voice. I didn't understand it really from what he'd been saying. He'd seemed to realize something. As we walked a reasonable distance away from the circle, Stronghold planted his feet between me and them, almost protectively.

"What's wr-" I started, but the brawn cut me off.

"I'm going to ask you this once." He said firmly, but the hardness in his eyes wavered. "I want the truth. The _absolute_ truth."

Nodding cautiously, I tried not to sound as confused as I was, "Okay."

He waited a moment, searching my eyes, looking for lies. "Did you have anything to do with Royal Pain?"

I stared at him, a little shocked. But wary. I didn't know where the accusation came from but…I was caught.

"Not in the way you're thinking." I replied calmly, shaking my head.

His jaw stiffened. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He growled. "When I took you down to the Sanctum, was it because you were-"

"Took me down to the Sanctum? Stronghold, what the hell are you talking about?"

"At the party! We couldn't find a place to talk and I brought you to the Sanctum. And you," Rage and betrayal built up in his eyes, and his posture, his fists clenching.

"Stronghold, wait just a minute," I implored, taking a hold of his clenched biceps. "I never went into any Sanctum,"

"You were there!" Tears were in his eyes now, but he didn't pull away.

"No, I wasn't-oh," I paused, a light going on in my head. _"…you are no longer needed."_ "Stronghold listen to me, please, just listen. Yes, I met Royal Pain. Yes, he made me an offer in exchange for helping him get his weapon back. He ran me over with his van! That day you came to my house and I was all banged up and my bike was fucked? Yeah,"

He remembered, and I could tell it from his eyes, always honest.

"But I didn't take the deal, I swear. But he threatened you, so I did what I thought was right and stayed away from you. That's why I broke it off."

He faltered, "But you said in the Sanctum,"

"It wasn't me in the Sanctum. I swear to you. I spent each night looking for Royal Pain, and he left me a note saying that he didn't need me anymore. I don't know who or what went down into the Sanctum with you, but it wasn't me." I moved my hands up to his face, "Believe me."

He stared deeply into my eyes, and sighed deeply, "I believe you." He closed his eyes and leaned forward to press his forehead to mine.

I swallowed and pulled back. I couldn't stop there. "I stayed away from you to protect you. It was wrong, I know. I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to."

He shook his head, "Warren,"

"No, listen. You have to understand, the entire time we were apart, I wanted to be with you. Sure, there were times I tried to tell myself I didn't. Like I've said before, this is all _really_ new for me. I tried to take a way out. I tried to tell myself I didn't want you…"

He looked a little hurt, but patient and understanding. And yet, I _had_ to keep going.

"Stronghold, out of all of this, I did something else wrong too. And I need you to believe me that I wish I hadn't."

"You were trying to protect me, I,"

"Stronghold, that night…when I came and found you? Before I did, I…I was with someone else…"

Silence fell between us.

I watched the emotions moved across his face very slowly. He didn't understand. I stared deeply into his eyes. I could almost see myself in them. See my own eyes. Dark chocolate, and regretful. Guilty.

"With…with someone else?" he breathed, a drop of water rolling down his cheek.

"Y-yes." I replied, looking down as he pulled away, not forcefully though. _No, can't look away._ I told myself. I had to get it out, tell him the truth. The whole truth.

"It was…I work with him at the restaurant. His name is Zeke." I gushed. "He's a…_sort of_ friend. He…I just…I guess it was a part of trying to disillusion myself that I didn't need you…that I didn't want you. It didn't work. I just, I had,"

He was shaking his head, water collecting heavily at the edges of his eyes. He gave me a shove, "I trusted you! You bastard!"

"Stronghold," I tried.

"You're telling me this and you can't even be bothered to call me by my fucking first name?" His voice wavered, and he brought his hands to his face.

"Will, please, I'm sorry. Just,"

He rubbed fiercely at the tears, determined not to let any more fall. His face was flushed, angry and betrayed once again. "No! There I was, _killing_ myself over you, and you're at home," His voice broke and he swallowed, "you're at home having a carefree fuck with some guy you work with?! Probably laughing at me!"

"I wasn't laughing, Will, I,"

"No!" He shoved me away again when I tried to touch him, to soothe him and calm him. "You…asshole! God, I feel like a fucking idiot." The brawn pressed his palms firmly up to his eyes, "I can't believe I even,"

"Will, _please_, just listen," I tried again, feeling weaker. I was losing him.

"No. No, no, fuck you. Fuck _you_, Warren Peace!" _Will_ turned and walked away.

"Will,"

"Just stay away from me!" He yelled, not looking back. The brawn walked back across the sand to the sidewalk, following the path out of the park. He was holding his elbows, his shoulders shuddering.

The things he said had stung, and a part of me wanted to go after him, to keep trying to explain. Another part wanted to do as he said, and stay away. Just let him cool off.

And I stood there contemplating, and arguing with myself over my next move until he was out of sight.

"Warren?"

I looked over my shoulder, and there was Hippie. Apparently she was the only one brave enough to venture forth after the argument.

"What happened?"

I looked over at the fire on the beach. It was small, red and smoky. The group stared worriedly back at me. Surfer Dude…Glowstick…whatever got uncomfortable quick though and looked down at the sand, brushing a finger through it aimlessly.

I brushed back my hair and made the fire go out, hating that it was an easy tell. A window to see right into how I was feeling. "I fucked up pretty bad, that's what happened, Hippie."

She glanced after Stronghold and looked at her watch. "The next shuttle isn't coming by for another twenty minutes. So, he's probably walking back home. You can still catch him."

"And do what exactly, huh? You saw him leave, he won't listen to me!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up in frustration. I wiped at the flames reaching up from my shoulders in anger and frustration. They went out. "You wanna know what I did? I broke up with him thinking I could protect him from Royal Pain, lied to him, and hurt him. Oh, and I _fucked_ someone else when we were apart!"

Gothchick decided to chime in from the empty fire pit, "Wouldn't the key word in there be 'apart'?"

I whirled on her, taking a few purposeful strides back toward them. "Yeah, well since you seem to know so fucking much about everything, maybe you knew that while I had my dick up someone else's ass, he was busy committing _suicide_!"

Oh, silence had never been more silent before. Looks of shock registered across their faces. Gothchick lowered her eyes. But she at least had the decency to be taken aback.

"I know I fucked up. I know I hurt him. But where the fuck were you guys when he was going through that hell? You're supposed to be his best friends! You!" I pointed at the goth, "You knew how bad he was! You told me yourself! Why didn't you do anything?! And you!" I whipped back to face Hippie.

Stagboy called, "Peace, leave her alone,"

Undeterred, I got up close and in her face, "You're his fucking neighbor! You couldn't be bothered to stop by and see where the fuck he'd been?! Some fucking friends!"

"Stop it!"

All eyes turned back to the blonde giant. He was up on his feet, his fists trembling. "Just stop it! This isn't getting anyone anywhere! I don't give a shit that you're Warren Peace! You shut your mouth and cool your stupid hot head!"

Now Gothchick looked shocked…

Glowstick was on a roll. "You're taking this all out on us. And yelling and screaming doesn't change anything. It's not our fault that you two-timed, Will…and you have no clue what it feels like to find out that your best friend tried to off himself…and you didn't even see any signs. But you broke his heart, Warren…he told me that. And you probably didn't mean to, but you did it again."

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

I took a bus to get into the neighborhood, but I was in the fucking neighborhood. With purpose, I strode right past the front doors of the Paper Lantern. It was about 8:30 pm, so the restaurant was probably winding down.

There was no plan, no. Just a constant wave of _Find this asshole, Zeke._

I'd squeezed the bar on the back of the bus seat in front of me, leaving impressions. I knew that I was losing control, but I was so flooded with rage, and frustration that I didn't stop.

Once around the back of the restaurant, I paused. _What the hell was I supposed to do now? _I was breathing hard with my heart beating like a drum in my chest. I'd come all this way, and now what was I-?

The back door opened, letting a stream of light into the alley. I watched somebody come out, hauling a couple of clear garbage bags, full of discarded food and napkins and crap. I was no fan of Chinese food, and I wrinkled my nose against it. "Hey! Zeke!" I called experimentally.

The guy turned around, wiping sweat from his brow. I walked purposefully toward him. He was taller than me by a few scant inches, but he wasn't nearly as muscular as I had become. He had slanted green eyes, dark complexion and…green fucking hair…

_This is the guy?!_

"Are you Zeke?" I growled.

He reached up and rubbed slightly at his mouth, "Yeah. Judging by your pissed off face, I either owe you money, or you must be Will."

_He fucking knows about me?!_

I paused when I was a few feet away. Zeke had a big huge shiner. His eye was swollen and little bloodshot. It was a little bit faded, but significantly fresh. Not more than a few days old.

I sighed, gnawing on the inside of my lip. "I came here to…punch you out…but I guess he already did."

Zeke chuckled lightly, gesturing at the dumpster, "Yeah. Tossed me from here, all the way against that thing." He uncomfortably rubbed at the back of his neck. "Listen, I understand why you're pissed."

"Then why would you do this?" I asked, genuinely curious. I was getting tired of the avoidance, and the lies.

"The guy was lost, pissed off and suffering from blue balls. He was too much of a coward to go back to you to beg you to take him back at the time. And I'm a skank. But Will, seriously it didn't mean anything to him."

"Then why?" I repeated, throwing my hands up. _I hate this guy so fucking much…_

"You mean a lot more to him now than you did before. I blew him one time, long time ago, I'm pretty good at that you see, and he came."

_Blew him?!_

"I think that was before you and him were a thing." He trailed off, puzzling to the air. "But anyways! This time, he never came. Not once He just ended up more pissed off, tossed the condom across the room, sat on the windowsill and chain-smoked."

I remembered the faint smell of cigarettes that night…

"You know Warren. He's stubborn, too tough for real emotion. He's kind of an asshole, really,"

My jaw and fists clenched.

"Whoa, whoa, oh god, please don't hit me. I'm just being honest. It's what I do!" He raised his hands up defensively and smiled nervously, "I'm really sorry, dude. I am. When a guy like Warren falls in love,"

I stiffened noticeably.

He kept going this time, "It's really confusing. You probably know him better than I do. You know he's probably had to fight his whole life. He'd not used to feeling stuff like this."

For a moment, I just stared at him. The things he said, and the things that…that Warren had said…they seemed to fill in each others' blanks and come up with the same story. But…I was…angry…I _wanted_ to be angry.

"What the hell do you know?" I growled, but I faltered.

"I know that he called me 'Will'. How do you think I knew your name otherwise? He's not exactly the type to 'open up' per se."

Shock moved through me.

And the guy continued, "I know you have no reason to, but trust me, man…he wanted no one else to be with him that night more than you…"


	48. Not Your Bedroom Ceiling

**Damn, I'm getting good at this update-by-this-time thing...**

**I bought a new hammock...and damn it, I love that thing. **

**The Solstice is almost upon us, and I'll be having a huge-uh-mungous party with tents, and paint and fire...Oh, I can't wait...I'll be painting all my friends up because they're my tribe. There'll be music, I'm gonna drag out all of my hand drums, djembes, congas, bongos...oh it'll be glorious. **

**Ya know, I think of you guys as my tribe too...Yep, I'd have a shot with quite a few of you, hehe.**

**Ohhhh, it's getting so close to the end! I'm pretty excited and sad at the same time as you all know. **

**Please do enjoy, children.**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

As I signed out on the sheet, I glanced down the small supply hall. Lan had Mosshead's chin in one hand, and was looking with concern at the black eye I'd left on him. "Poor baby," I heard her murmur. The dishwasher made a show of pouting, "Yeah, at least I can see okay now."

"That big, butch bastard," Lan shook her head and very gently kissed under his eye.

"Can you do that again? Please? It still hurts." The guy pouted playfully.

Lan laughed gently, tilting his head and full on kissed him on the mouth.

Grimacing, I set down the pen on top of the fridge where the sign-in sheet was taped, and ducked out the back door. If my mind weren't on other things, I'd think that what I'd just witnessed was horrid and unusual. I never really thought much about people I'd fucked after I fucked them. But the fact that two of those I'd fucked before were now fucking each other? I mean, _Lan_ and _Zeke_? I might've found it a little weird considering that they were two _very_ different people.

But then, so were Stronghold and I…

Sinking down onto my bike, I hung my head, gripping the handlebars.

The brawn hadn't answered any of my texts and was forwarding my phone calls. And the past two days in school were no better.

Wednesday morning, I'd cornered him outside the locker rooms. Trying to explain myself by starting out with how in the beginning of this thing we had, because back then it had just been a _thing_, I'd just thought about getting my rocks off, and getting back at his father didn't help me at all. He spared me no ear after that.

So, whenever I approached him, he wouldn't speak to me. Whenever his eyes found me, they became cold and distant. And as far as I knew, from what Hippie had told me, he refused to talk about me, his feelings or the situation we were in at all.

_"I don't know how to feel about it myself, Warren."_ She'd said to me carefully this afternoon. _"I know it doesn't classify as…well, 'cheating' but considering what you both were going through, it's a pretty big deal. I think you both could use this time apart,"_

There was a sizable dent in the locker beside hers that symbolized my frustration; and of course, my guilt and anger at myself. I thought of that wary look she'd given me when she'd flinched back. After an apology, I tried to make myself scarce.

"Warren? You okay?"

Looking up, a breathy chuckle left me as Mosshead and Lan came down the short steps. I pulled on my helmet and did up the strap, doing my best to forget about the blue helmet strapped to the seat behind me. "I gotta get out of here. You two are making me sick."

"Don't hate on our hot-monkey sex!" The dishwasher exclaimed, earning himself a decent punch in the arm by the girl. "Owie! Oh please, it's not like he doesn't know what the sheets look like when you and I have finished rolling in them anyways."

Sighing, I brought up the kickstand and turned over the motor.

"Has Will talked to you yet?" Lan asked, "Zeke said he seemed pretty upset Tuesday night."

Looking up at her, I muttered through the visor, "Oh please, just don't," and I started walking my bike backwards to turn around.

"The guy very nearly, almost knocked my teeth in the other night! That automatically gives me rights to blather on about it and everything that had to do with it!" Mosshead smiled. Lan put her hand over mine on the handlebar. The dishwasher covered the other, "Whenever you're ready to talk about it, buddy."

"Yeah, we're here for you." Lan smiled gently.

"'Cause it's adorable that you really do have feelings and stuff." Mosshead chuckled.

"Get off or I'll run over your toes," I grunted, shrugging them off to gun it into the streets to head home.

* * *

My mind raced with thoughts that did their best to brutalize me the entire ride home. If I'd thought to take some time to eat something during the night, I would've just gone right up to bed once I got home. But after putting away my bike, and taking off my boots, I found myself shuffling into the kitchen. There weren't any leftovers in the fridge since nobody had really been around lately. But the eggs were still good so I picked the cartoon off the shelf, telling myself to go to the market after school tomorrow.

_That is if I even bother going…_

I melted some margarine in a pan and cracked some eggs into it. Regretting not going right to bed, I tried not to think about that cool scowl he'd aimed at me today. Failing miserably, I thought about how I'd fed him breakfast here, and he'd contentedly sat on top of the island. Then there were the tears in his eyes that he furiously rubbed away the other night

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to listen to the eggs crackling in the pan than remember him crying out, _"I trusted you! You bastard!"_

Pressing my lips firmly together, I wondered how he could even believe that I'd been laughing at him the whole time. He meant so much more to me than that and it hurt that he didn't believe that. Taking a shaky breath, I turned the pan upside-down over a plate. The yolks broke, running across the rest of the eggs.

Taking a fork from the drawer, I rubbed hard at one of my eyes. It stung.

"Warren?"

Jumping, I whirled around and found Mom standing tiredly in the doorway in sleep pants and a holey old long sleeve. Her hair was a little mussed, but she looked wide awake. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Turning away, I rubbed at my eye again. "I'm _fine_." I grunted dismissively, shoveling the eggs into my mouth so I could just go to bed and get away from the situation I currently found myself in. First she'd read me, and talk without talking, and I'd get frustrated and say something hurtful and goddamnit…

"Warren, you haven't been yourself for the past two days. I gather something happened with Will,"

I tensed, the fork lingering between my lips.

"And I feel, I mean, I want you to know that you can talk with me."

"Mom," I said warningly, hating the break in my voice.

"Warren, you shouldn't keep this all bottled up," She continued, "It'll just hurt more, believe me, I know."

"What the fuck do you know?!" I yelled out, throwing the plate against the wall. It shattered, leaving a small dent and some yolk trickling down.

She didn't even have the courtesy to wince, but watched me gently with those big, tawny eyes.

"You can put together the story by reading everything, sure. But you _don't_ know." I said shakily, hands starting to tremble. Oh fuck, was I crying?

"I hurt him so badly. He deserves more than me. And he probably knows it now, b-because he won't talk to me." I took in a ragged breath, "He won't talk to me, Mom. He thinks I don't care about him, but I do. Oh fucking gods, I do. I want him so much, but if he won't take me back, I want him to know that. I just,"

My voice cracked, and I brought my hands to my face. My body sunk down to the floor and I tried so hard to get my uneven, stuttering breath under control. It almost sounded like I was sobbing, or on the verge of.

Then Mom was there. Her lean arms came around my shoulders. But I shrugged from her touch. "Please don't." She didn't listen exactly. Instead she settled down beside me, shoulder to shoulder.

"Warren, believe it or not, I know what you're going through. And I know it hurts like hell. Your father and I went through something like this in high school too. It was a messy fight too. Got us both suspended." She smiled weakly, thinking back. "I know using us as an example is probably very bad…but to try and make up, I brought him to the next drum circle my family had. That was a pretty personal thing for me back then; and bringing someone with me to my _family's_ drum circle was _so_ not me."

I swallowed hard, coughed and wiped at my damp face.

"We didn't have the perfect relationship. Far from it. Barely even a relationship. And when you were born, and he snuck into the hospital to see you…he told me about that day, and how it stuck with him so well." She tilted her head back to rest it against the cupboard.

I remembered when Dad had told me that he'd put his havoc wreaking plans on hold just because I'd been born. That soft, warm smile and the drifting eyes he'd had nearly matched Mom's. "Like I said, not a good example seeing as your father is Cerberus…but sharing with him something that deep and connected to me helped us. I'd like to think that that day helped him a little too…held off that breaking point where he resorted to murder and hate."

I couldn't look at her anymore. But I could feel her looking at me, and I was glad that I'd dried up all those stupid tears, and was breathing normally again. "_He_ told me to put my surname on your birth certificate, you know. He didn't want you to have the same life as him. It's just little things like that…that make me believe that sometimes he could be good and human somewhere inside."

"You need to move on," I grunted, clenching my hands together. I looked at her light-heartedly then, and she laughed.

"You never forget your first love, Warren. And I think I have moved on, because my partner from work is currently sacked out, and _completely_ spent in my bed." She snickered.

Remembering Mark Lodge, the newly turned vamp, I groaned and shook my head, "_Mom_,"

She snorted, "Don't give me that, it's been _years_ since I last got laid! And you're the one leaving clouds of pleasure all over my house, and eating my marinated steaks, so shut the hell up." The woman shoved herself up from the floor, and brushed her sleep pants off. Then she went to the long cupboard and took out the broom and dustpan to sweep up the broken plate glass.

"I got it, Mom." I said mildly, getting to my feet and taking the broom from her.

She looked warily up into my eyes, and then took my face in her hands, pulling me down slightly to plant a kiss on my forehead. "Try and get some sleep, boy."

I wiped off my forehead and gave the women a little push, "Watch your feet."

She smiled gently, "Night, Warren."

I nodded back, and looked to the floor to start sweeping. Once I heard her go up the stairs, I leaned on the broom slightly. _Deep and personal…I can do that…_

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I thought I was going to get through these last couple of classes without issue. And by issue, I mean seeing the pyro coming toward me with intent to talk in his eyes. Fuck me, I was wrong…

I'd escaped the cafeteria early to try and avoid running into him. It had been complete radio silence since yesterday morning. Not a text, not another phone call, nothing. I tried to tell myself I was happy for that, that he'd given up, but I wasn't.

The halls held students just hanging out, like any normal lunch period. It was a little more crowded as people came inside to seek refuge from the cold breeze apparently making its way across the school grounds. But I made my way well enough. Purposefully avoiding my locker had been on my list of things to do the past few days. My locker seemed to be a common enough place to look for me.

But I couldn't hold it off because I needed to switch out my textbooks. While Mad Science was killing me, it couldn't take up all my time.

"How are you at hiking?"

I jumped, and looked up at the firebird. _"Hiking?"_ I asked, and instantly bit on the inside of my lip. _Damn it, I spoke to him…_

"Yeah," He nodded. The pyro's expression lacked any seriousness I'd briefly seen in it over the past few days. His posture and face were smooth, optimistic and cautious.

Put off by the odd question, I took the bait, "What do you mean?"

He took a small breath, and eased out his next words. "I want to take you somewhere."

Rolling my eyes, I looked back to my locker and finally got it open, "'Somewhere'?"

"Y-yeah…Somewhere special."

I looked back at him, cocking an eyebrow, "And in order to go there, it requires…hiking?"

The pyro nodded and replied softly, "Yup."

_Okay…color me intrigued…_and relieved at the easy way we slid back into conversation. Suddenly conscious of that, I made myself bite out, "Where is it?"

He frowned, averting his gaze for a moment at my tone. Then he forced himself to look right into my eyes. "Deep in the woods. I was thinking that…maybe, if you wanted to, you'd come with me tonight after school."

Damn it, I couldn't stand how subdued he looked.

"I don't know," I said, resigned, looking into my locker. "What's so special about it?"

I watched him lick his lips out of the corner of my eye. "I…It's just personal…I want to show you." His confident, light-hearted posture faltered.

I wondered briefly what it could hurt…just going on a hike…I mean, it's not like I was obligated to do anything, I was still mad at him. But I didn't want to be…yes I did…but…he was trying…he was making a gentle effort.

That was different than what I'd been facing the past few days. Words, excuses from him, from my friends as they each tried to tell me what they thought was best, or weighed me down with questions.

I had to admit, that this approach was refreshing. Warren was giving me plenty of room to breathe, not crowding me in any way, physically or mentally.

"Let me think about it," I murmured, giving my Super Psych textbook a shove.

There was a brief pause as the pyro looked softly at me. Then he took a step back, nodding, "Okay. Just uh…text me…or something…"

* * *

I zipped up my jacket under my chin. It was a little cold out. But then again, I'd heard the news say this morning that New York had just been hit with an ice storm and Wyoming was three feet under snow…so I didn't have much cause to complain. It wasn't too bad out, I supposed.

Warren sure was a sight, climbing with practiced ease up the steep, heavily wooded inclines. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a sleeveless black shirt, not even mindful of the chill in the air.

I'd taken the bus to his place, turning down the offer to come pick me up on his motorcycle. I figured that I was in deep enough without having to sit closely behind him while riding bitch on his bike…

My strength had pretty much returned, but after breaking a small tree in half, I was trying my best to be gentle. I pushed on cautiously, letting myself fall behind a little.

"You okay, Stronghold?" He called warily over his shoulder.

With a small, inaudible huff, I pulled myself up carefully on a tree and retorted, "I'm fine." At first I was satisfied to see him frown and turn away. But that didn't last, so I added less harshly, "I'm right behind you."

"We're almost there," He said after a moment, the tenseness in his shoulders fading.

I glanced at the clock on my phone real quick and saw that we'd been at this for a little over half an hour. And based on the pillows he'd stuffed in my bag, and the blankets in his, he planned on us spending the night out here.

I wasn't sure about letting that happen…

I wondered a few times what the hell I was doing out here, following this ass…this _pyro_ deep into the woods. I wanted to be angry, and I was. But then I didn't want to be.

He was _trying_. So what did that make me if I didn't let him try?

My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten yet. Luckily, there was a small food and drink cooler involved as well, which he was also carrying.

I always figured Warren to be the rugged type. But I'd thought it was more of the motorcycles, bar fights and cigarettes type of rugged.

However, the forest looked good on him. He had his hair tied back, and he'd traded in his usual boots for hiking shoes. And there was a water pouch cinched to his bag. So I made the assumption that he made this trip often.

"You come out here a lot?" I asked to fill the breezy quiet. "You've kind of got a path worn down here."

"Usually, I come up here when I don't have work, don't have a game at the _Cue _and when I've reached my overload on being around people. I haven't been out here since school started back up. I bet everything's in good shape though. And if not, I can fix it up."

"Is it a log shack, or a lean-to you've got built up here?"

He chuckled, "It's a little prettier than a shack or a lean-to."

"I don't consider the look of lean-tos unpleasant."

"Yeah, if you like the smell of dead, wet leaves." He replied. The incline began to even out, and Warren stopped a little ways above me.

"Here it is."

I caught up with him and found myself looking at a small break in the trees in a sort of, somewhat flat area. In the middle of it there was a fire pit with a fern or two growing out of it. Close to that was a small stack of firewood. And there were some bark-stripped sticks making up what looked like a handmade hanging rack. It was probably for wet clothes or something.

But what really made the campsite was the tall, painted canvas covered tipi.

"Oh, wow…"

I felt a warm hand rest hesitantly on my shoulder. For a second, I thought about shrugging it off. But I decided against it.

_Give him a chance,_ I told myself.

I felt the long, sturdy fingers relax on my shoulder, "Let me tell you. Those things are a bitch to build by yourself."

"I can imagine. Did you have a whole lot of bumps on your poor skull?"

"A few, a few." The firebird nodded, walking past me toward the tipi. He grabbed the door cover and pulled it back, revealing the inside. There was a small fire pit in the middle, above it the smoke could leak out of the top, between the long poles.

"After you," He smirked.

Obliging, I ducked inside the tall tent.

Warren followed me in, setting down his bag. "As much as I wish I could cook a venison leg on a spit over the fire, we can't eat that extravagantly tonight. My mom hides the steaks nowadays."

I chuckled at the allusion and then asked, "Venison?"

"Deer meat."

_Wow, I just got a very attractive image of you…war paint, moccasins, bow and arrow, things like that…_I stopped myself in my thoughts, trying to bring back that hard cold, exterior.

"Ah."

Warren pressed his lips together and looked away, reaching back to let down his hair. It cascaded down around his shoulders and he tossed the blankets in a not-so-neat pile to one side of the tipi. I looked around. The ground was dry and grassless in here, but smooth and well-worn with no rocks or anything.

The red and black paint on the outside of the tipi was silhouetted on the inside slightly. Some zig zags, jagged designs of fire and a great bird. "Didn't think of you as a painter."

"Not really. But when you're three quarters native, you do a lot of traditional things with your family growing up. Hunting, painting, circle dancing, drum circles, singing, camping out,"

"Circle dancing?" I asked, smirking up at the pyro.

"Yes, shut up. That was a long time ago. I haven't gone to a powwow in years. Things kind of stopped when my dad…" he trailed off, looking down.

I bit at my lip uncomfortably. I think I he knew and understood that his father hadn't been a model citizen. However, losing him seemed to have had such an impact on him and his family. I wondered it that was why he and his mother saw very little of each other, and didn't get along. She might have had trouble coping too.

I thought about the looks I'd seen people give Warren when he walked by. They probably only saw Baron Battle. Same with his mom maybe, for loving such a man. And I wondered just how much people shunned him, feared him, maybe even hurt him as he grew up. Especially after the villain's capture…

"You're thinking pretty loud over there, Stronghold." Warren said, chuckling nervously.

Looking up, I found that he was stepping out of the tipi. I tossed the pillows onto the blankets and sleeping bags before getting out. The pyro was walking into the trees, gathering small sticks for kindling. I followed suit, gathering what looked dry and burnable.

"You know, I'm trying real hard to wrap my head around this," I said, letting myself become a bit more light-hearted, "At first when you said that you wanted to take me somewhere, I thought that meant I'd be seeing nothing but your bedroom ceiling."

The firebird barked out a laugh, and cautiously joked back, "I figured you oughta get out of the house!"

"Yeah, and freeze my ass off out here in the dark."

"It's sixty-three degrees and it's not even dark yet." He smirked, dropping his gathered kindling next to the fire pit.

"And when it does get dark, the temperature will _drop_!"

"To what? Sixty degrees?"

I scoffed and knelt down, placing my findings in the pile with his. As he started to arrange them in the pit, I cocked an eyebrow, "Not all of us are walking furnaces."

"All the more reason to cozy up to me." He smirked, focused on his work. But he paused, movement ceasing and I could tell that he was wondering if he'd crossed a line. The pyro looked warily at me, nervousness showing in his eyes.

"You're very…generous." I commented, choosing to scoot closer to him.

He smiled, looking back to his kindling to hold a palm out over it. I touched his arm to stop him. "Bet you can't light that without your powers." At that, Warren looked me straight in the eye. The dark chocolate orbs were searching my face. It was like he was waiting me to throw something back in his face. He was completely taken aback by my teasing, light tone. _Can't blame him for that…I've been making it pretty hard for him…_

Then the side of his mouth twitched up a little bit. "I can knock you upside the head without my powers."

I pouted innocently up at him, "I'm too sweet to beat." A pause. "Or maybe, just sweet enough." I added, cracking a licentious smirk.

He smirked back and then said, "Give me your shoelaces."

"W-what?" I asked, leaning away in confusion. With a primal look, he replied, "You want a fire without my powers? Give me your shoelaces."

_Okay this isn't going where I thought it was._ "How is giving you my shoelaces going to start a fire?" I inquired, pushing his hands away as they reached intently for my sneakers.

"I'll make a bow drill. I'm Lakota. Of course I know how to make fire the alternative way." He said, moving closer as I attempted to crawl backwards out of reach.

Then I found myself being wrestled down to my back. Putting up a reasonable fight was well within my reach seeing as I was blatantly stronger. I got the upper hand, rolling on top of the pyro. Smirking at him, I pressed down on his chest and one of his forearms. His ribs rose and fell, panting a bit from our little match. My fingers moved back and forth then, caressing the heat leaking through the firebird's shirt.

Realizing myself, I got off of him, laughing lamely. "Just light the fire, Warren."

"Alright then," came the sighing reply.

And then I heard a crackle. Looking over at the pit, I saw fire creeping slowly amongst the kindling, taking hold of the dry sticks easily.

He finally sat up and brushed dirt and some leaves off of himself. Then he crouched next to the fire and stacked wood blocks on top of it neatly.

"What happened to the tipi fire? That looks more like Jenga."

Chuckling, he looked over at me, "Ever been by a good campfire, Stronghold?"

"Maaaybe."

"You spend too much time in the suburbs."

I leaned heavily into his side, "Hey! C'mon! Those suburbs have a lakeside beach in a public park! Beach campfires happen! You were there!"

The pyro was quiet for a moment and I winced. Yeah…I'd brought up that night…shit…

He eased around what we were both obviously thinking so smoothly though. "Those sandy smores were so damn appetizing."

"A little gritty, but otherwise tasty." I smiled, closing my eyes, just breathing. The pyro and the fire almost smelled exactly alike. The woodsmoke. The scent of the flames. Spicy. Might've been the type of wood, or maybe even the fire that came forth from his own body. It was great to smell him again.

"Hey, make yourself useful and bring me the cooler."

It wasn't too far from the warmth of Warren and his fire so I obliged with no complaint. "Did we have to take all of the hotdogs?"

He smirked, "They were the only meat I didn't toss in the freezer when I got home."

"There are two packs of hotdogs here! I may be a teenaged boy, but I doubt that I could pack this all away, fast metabolism or not." I pointed out.

"I took them all because I think she was having her boyfriend over." He chuckled.

"You're dastardly. That poor woman."

"Hey, I helped her out. The guy probably doesn't even really eat all that much anyways."

Frowning, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Her boyfriend's a bloodsucker."

Frowning further, I thought about all of the regulations that the city's vamps were supposed to follow. Dad had always warned me to stay away from them whether or not they seemed civilized. And he backed it up with a horror story about his own face off that involved considerable loss of his own blood against some civs that had turned into a feral cult. They'd believed that by consuming the Commander's blood, their strength and indestructibility would rival his.

"There you go, thinking again. If you're worried about her, don't be. The guy was her partner at work before he got himself killed. Then one of their vamp friends in the department turned him. He's followed regulations and has been conditioned. She can take care of herself. Besides I'm her son." He gestured at the fire. "I'd like to think he knows better."

I smiled teasingly, "You care about her."

"Shut up or you don't eat."


	49. This Week Didn't Happen

**The bird's are chirping and I haven't been to bed yet...those scalawags...**

**OOH! Speaking of birds, I almost hit a friggin' big ass owl on the way home from the gym last night! He was just standing in the middle of the road! At first I thought he'd been hit by a car or attacked because it looked like half of his face was hanging off him...but then I realized it was his prey...in his beak...which he carried off with while narrowly avoiding my car which I swerved a little to miss him standing there but then he took flight and brakes and sheesh...**

**It's considered odd when I stand in the middle of a room with food hanging from my mouth...**

**Oh, and yesterday it was hot so I went on a walk while topless and some creeper rolled up next to me and was like "Not that I'm complaining but you should put some clothes on." And I asked "Why?" And he stammered, "Well it's not right for women to walk around half naked!" So I tore his ass up...because for one, I'm androgynous.**

**"It's hot outside...and if I recall, in this state, as of 1994 wherever a man is permitted to walk around topless no matter how skinny, fat, muscled or hairy, a woman can as well no matter how skinny, fat, muscled or hairy. The only thing not right about this situation is that a creepy dude is rolling at 4 miles an hour trying to chat up a person who doesn't want to be chatted to while walking their dog."**

**Then my neighbor who had been out by the road gardening on her property just put the candle on the cake. "Yeah! So keep on rolling shit-stain!" **

**I fucking love that lady...**

**So, holy long chapter...with porn...lot's and lot's of slashy porn...**

**You guys have been asking for it, so la-la. **

**I've received some questions about Warren's heritage and stuff so I'm gonna clear it up short and sweet. Warren's mother, Angela Peace, is full blooded Native American. Warren's father, Baron Battle, is half Italian, half Native American. Yay. **

**Only one more chapter to go as well as the epilogue! I'm excited! But bummed too...sniffle...**

**But anyways, porn...yay!**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

"What kind of a weirdo puts ketchup instead of mustard on their hotdog?" I asked, wiping my knuckles across my lip.

He turned his head, looking at me as he leaned back into my chest, sitting comfortably between my legs. The blanket around us was mostly just to trap my warmth in for him. He'd actually removed his jacket, more than content with me.

It was as if this disastrous week hadn't happened.

"You're the one who hangs out with me. You didn't have to invite me here you know!" he laughed back, nudging his elbow softly back into my stomach.

"You're the only one I've brought up here you know."

I wathed him blush, smile and look into the fire. That night on the beach, I'd liked the way my flames reflected in his eyes. I liked it here even more. I loved how the glow bathed his skin. _Great image really…_

I could think of a better image.

However, I had to test the waters first. I may want him, but I wouldn't dare do anything he didn't approve of. The brawn sighed as I nuzzled the side of his neck. My lips trailed down to his shoulder where I kissed and nipped at the skin there.

"Hey, War…ever do it by a campfire?"

Fire licked excitedly at my ribs, but I forced myself to take a deep, calming breath. After a moment, I chuckled into his ear, "Can't say that I have."

The brawn tilted his head, giving me free reign of his exposed flesh. Relieved, I mouthed at his neck, breathing him in. A moan flowed smoothly from him as I trailed a hand down his front. He gasped when I folded it around and grasped the crotch of his jeans. Very slowly I rubbed at him, feeling him harden against my palm. The shiver that went down his spine made my mouth water as he arched into my stroking fingers, leaning heavily against my chest.

Stronghold whimpered then, tugging off his shirt, letting it fall into his lap. He reached until his hand wrapped around the back of my neck and pulled me in to kiss him over his shoulder. The open sleeping bag under us shifted as I laid him out, straddling him.

His palms smoothed up my stomach while I pulled off my shirt. Fingers grasping at my sides, he brought me firmly down on top of him. The force hurt with his strength but I bit back any sounds of pain. The brawn surged up to capture my lips, and I pulled back to look into those beautiful blues.

He looked up at me in confusion, his brow arched.

"Slow," I breathed, claiming his mouth in the gentlest of battles.

It took him a moment to respond. However, when he did it was every bit as frantic as usual, but just…slow. My tongue dipped into his mouth to taste every bit of him. It wasn't even much of a battle. It was more like a swaying, mutual dance.

Stronghold let out a little moan. A hand traveled downward between us and he rubbed at my cock with a light touch that a shiver went down my spine. Then the little brawn was unbuttoning his pants, his breath heavy, but as slow as our movement.

I'd initially felt guilty earlier when I'd put lube in my jeans pocket. Just because he'd accepted my invitation to go into the woods with me didn't mean we'd actually end up doing anything. But as I pulled it from my pocket and undid the button on my own jeans, I was damn glad I had. Especially when he licked his lips upon seeing it. His anger hadn't made him forget.

Kicking my jeans off my ankle, I began kissing and nipping my way along his throat. Stronghold keened beautifully when I bit down on his shoulder and sucked hard on the sensitive skin there.

"Warren…I," He whispered, nearly breathless.

I leaned back, picking up the lube. But I took it upon myself to steal a moment to take in the sight before me. The fire painted the brawn's naked skin in a light orange glow. His lower lip was quivering slightly. He stared with hooded eyes up at me. I watched as Stronghold closed his mouth and swallowed, reaching up to thread his fingers through my hair.

Such warmth by the fire in my own private campsite where I always went to escape the world…I'd come a damn long way.

I kissed him as tenderly as he looked up at me. His hands moved through my hair, petting and grasping. And for a moment, I pressed my forehead to his, enjoying the sensation.

The brawn waved a hand over my shoulder, and I realized that small flames were reaching tenderly out of my skin.

"Like a firebird…" He breathed against my lips. "And all for me…" came riding on the next smiling breath.

Waving heat rose into my chest, and I felt as though my mistakes had finally been forgiven. His hand moved back through my hair as I caressed his cheek, and kissed him. My teeth tugged gently on his top lip and I murmured, "Yes."

He moaned a little in his throat when I kissed him again, a little deeper this time. And then I said, smugly cocking an eyebrow down at him, "My little pissant."

Stronghold let his head fall back as he laughed, arms hugging around my neck, a hand still in my hair. He brought me in for a kiss, both of us chuckling in our throats.

Then he sighed, letting my guide him to turn over onto his side, facing the fire, away from me. Kissing me over his shoulder, he barely let me have enough focus to flick the cap open on the lube. I slid my slicked fingers into him, shuddering as he whimpered into my mouth.

It didn't feel like he needed a whole lot of preparation. He was ready and wanting; knowing exactly how to relax his constricting muscles after a few drawn out moments. Still, I loved the sounds he made when I used lube.

I pulled his lower lip in between my teeth. Oh, I relished the shuddering cry _Will_ let out when I slickly rubbed at that hard, sweet spot inside of him.

He sighed nearly disappointedly when I withdrew my hand. "Warren," he breathed against my lips. His fingers clasped my hip, pulling my closer. Quickly lubing myself, his breath caught up in his chest when I started to press my cock into him. The brawn shuddered when I pulled back out.

I propped myself up on my left elbow, cradling his head along my forearm. My lips trailed along the vein in his neck, mouthing at the skin there. A small sigh escaped Stronghold as I gently thrust myself completely inside of him. There wasn't enough force for it even to be called a thrust. It was more like a smooth glide.

We'd never done it this slow before.

He didn't exactly seem to mind.

I sure as hell didn't.

With my tongue laving at the nape of his neck, I breathed him in. Another sigh left the brawn in response.

Together we just breathed, slow and steady.

My hand wrapped around his erection, stroking him as slowly as my hips moved.

His body was so enthralled by my fluid, ginger movements that he didn't thrust into my hand for more friction other than the occasional twitch.

Orgasm was a hell of a long time building. The stars sailed in the sky as the world turned for all the time we spent in this coupling. Muscles stiffened pleasantly. The fire in my chest spread throughout my nerves, lighting up my senses.

Stronghold groaned, arching against me.

I added a little bit of force, just to the inward thrust.

He keened, loudly and quietly each time I hit that special spot. The prostate was a wonderful thing…So I gathered from the reactions it caused when I tagged it…

My lover joined my fluid movements, moving his hips back and forth. I groaned against his temple, clenching my jaw.

I was getting so damn close, and if the shortening breath of my lover was anything to go on…

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

The pyro held my tightly to his chest, ducking his face against my neck. The prolonged pleasure had me aching. Our two bodies were pressed tightly together there on the forest floor. The leaves on the trees had a golden hue from the glow of the fire and the ferns seemed to dance even though there was no breeze.

It was a chilly night, but I felt no cold. Not with Warren so close. Not with the burning flex of every muscle in my body. Not with Warren's fire burning in front of me.

Together, we'd had some exhilarating completions. Some were nearly explosive, the magnitude increased by the intensity, roughness or heat of the sex.

But this was so deliciously slow. When I started to cum, it was just as slow. Barely happening, but it was so strong that it was taking over my entire body like an earthquake through my blood at the same time. Arching into his pumping fist, I let out a long sound, much like a keen, but quiet and breathy enough to be a whimper. And it sounded like "Ahh, gods, I love you!"

I saw the glow of the fire brighten behind my eyelids. Quickly, I made myself look just as I felt Warren's inner heat spilling profusely into me. He cried out throatily against my ear. The flames danced and jumped like ocean waves crashing against the air, imitating the throngs of the pyro's orgasm. I cried out louder at the sensation, a pulse riddling through me as the heat curled in my belly. Higher and higher my consciousness was taken as every muscle in my body tensed. Once at the peak, I found myself almost gliding back down on wings of panting breath and sated shudders.

His hot breath caressed my skin as if he'd been holding it. The firebird tossed his head back with a quiet, satisfied groan. Our bodies settled down amongst the blankets. His form became still and languid, like resting lava.

I, on the other hand, was trembling and I could stare into the heart of the gently burning fire, listening to the pyro's slowing pants.

He swallowed, and asked, "Are you cold?" running his knuckles along my cheek

"No," I breathed, still panting a little myself. "Just got…kind of after…shock."

Warren chuckled, lips pressing to the back of my neck, "Good to know I please you." Then he started to pull himself out of me.

Reaching back, I grasped his thigh, turning my upper body slightly to look at him, "N-wait, no. Don't…just…"

The firebird looked questioningly into my eyes.

"Just…stay a little longer…please?" I blushed. It felt too long since he'd last been inside me…I didn't want to feel empty just yet.

He stared at me curiously, but settled, allowing me to rest my head in the crook of his left arm. His other hand moved to caress the side of my face. I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch with a satisfied sigh. "Did you mean it? Or was that just the…well…"

My eyes snapped open and I realized what I had said while I'd been cumming…and that he'd heard it.

A cloud of frustration filled my chest. Frustration at myself for saying such a thing, and frustration at him for being such a…

He combed his fingers back through my hair, a comforting, affectionate gesture that we both had taken up. "Don't 1ook so freaked out, Baby. Calm down," He murmured, leaning down to kiss me tenderly.

Breathing in deep his scent, I relaxed against his lips. His tongue slid gently into my mouth and curled around mine for a long, relaxed moment. Then he pulled away just enough so we could look each other comfortably in the eye. There were small embers in those dark chocolate pools as he stared affectionately down at me.

Tucking his hair behind one ear, he murmured, "I don't think I've said that since I was seven. To my mother." The pad of his thumb smoothed against my cheekbone. "People are always so quick to say it…too quick. I thought it was childish."

I averted my gaze, something in me deflating a little, that cloud mustering itself up again. _Why can't he just-_

A gentle pat to my cheek got my attention back to him. "Hey…you already know that all of this is new…and difficult…for me to accept. I've never entertained the idea that I could feel like this about someone."

That something inside me lifted in my chest, pushing away the cloud.

"I have a friend…well, someone I know. She always used to blabber on about her boyfriends or whatever. And all I can think of while she's talking is when she'll say that they broke up. I always thought real relationships were bull, and never last."

I chewed on the inside of my lip.

His thumb came up and brushed against my mouth, stilling my biting. "But now, I don't want to think about this ever ending. I know that makes me selfish, but I don't want to…I don't like playing Xbox without you. I don't like riding my motorcycle without you. These past few days have really reminded me of that. You know, when I ride, I imagine that I can feel your arms wrapped around me," His tongue traced my lower lip, "tight. Trusting. Happy."

I stared up at him in disbelief. This was not the Warren that people saw, that I used to see. Sure, he was tough and masculine, but he had a warm softness somewhere inside of him that allowed him to say this. For a while at least, this was probably the closest to "I love you" I'd hear him say.

And that was okay. _Baby steps, Stronghold. Baby steps._ And I smiled.

"Now," he said, "can we pick up and get inside the tipi?"

"Are you bringing the fire with you?"

"I can do that."

"Then let's do it." I glanced around, "Now where the hell are my boxers?"

He laughed, and the fire burned taller and brighter, lighting up the campsite and the forest around us.

"Oh look, there they are." I pointed and then looked back up at Warren. "Very resourceful."

He shrugged, leaning down to kiss lightly at my top lip. "I have my moments." Then he raised up, reached down between up, and slowly pulled himself out of me. He grunted, and I let out a whimper, immediately feeling empty and missing being filled.

_I could've fallen asleep like that._

The firebird stood up and gathered his clothes, "I could've fallen asleep like that."

I paused before I stood up, and turned so he might not see me blushing and smiling to myself. I picked up my clothes and the blankets. My lips pressed together a bit when I stood up. My legs were a little wobbly, there was a pleasant ache in my backside, and a bit of the pyro's fluid trickling down the inside of my thigh.

"You're like a newborn foal after sex." Warren chuckled.

"Well, usually I just get to lay down for a few hours afterward! And don't even pick on me, I saw your knees shake when you got up!" I accused, cocking a playful eyebrow at him.

"Sure you did," he chuckled, holding back the flap of the tipi for me.

I clambered in and felt his clothes hit me in the back. "Hey!"

"Hey nothing! You want a sleeping bag under your ass and a fire in there or what?" I heard him call back from outside.

I laughed and tossed my clothes to one side, standing with the blankets in my arms. The flap moved to one side and he ducked in. "I'll be honest with you. This isn't the first I've walked around bare-assed in this campsite." He said, laying out the sleeping bag.

I pretended to pout, "I thought I was the only one you ever brought here."

He chuckled, "You are. I've washed up in the pond up the hill." And he ducked back out.

"There's a pond?"

The pyro came back in with a few piece of firewood tucked under his arm, and couple of pieces of burning firewood balanced on his forearm, fire and all. It was not an everyday sight, and I watched intently.

"Yeah, and a creek," he said, arranging his fire in the tipi's small pit, "Over there." He pointed briefly in one direction and then crouched by the cooler and pulled out a water bottle. He threw some water on a washcloth from his bag and wiped his front down with it. "Get over here. I'm not gonna wake up glued to you."

I chuckled and moved over to him, tossing the blankets onto the sleeping bag. "As if that were a fate worse than death."

It would just break my heart to peel a layer of your skin off." The pyro said, pulling me in by my hip and dousing my stomach with water.

"_Fuck_, that's freezing, Warren!" I exclaimed, trying to pull away.

He chuckled, tightening his hold on my hip. "Yep." He cleaned my stomach off.

"Warren! That's fucking cold!" The icy water really wasn't pleasant, even if the firebird had rubbed my cock a little when he was wiping my orgasm off of me.

"Don't be such a pansy," He breathed, reaching with the washcloth between my legs. The cold cloth made me shudder as it moved up the insides of my thighs and slid gently along my crease.

"Mmh!"

It was icy, but I could still feel his warmth just beneath it. His hot tongue lapped at my navel and he nipped at the line of my hip. He'd never cleaned me off so…intimately before.

Then all too soon Warren was pulling away, wiping the charcoal smudges from his arms and hands. So, I leapt on him when he turned away to toss the washcloth on top of his bag.

A loud grunt left him as he fell amongst the blankets with me on top of him. The firebird laughed at me as I attempted to grab at his wrists. He twisted around and rolled so I was under him. It was just a bout of playful wrestling. The fact that we were both naked was barely part of the equation. I laughed as I allowed him to press my head against the ground, "_Okay_. I give!"

He chuckled, and let up the pressure. Then the pyro saw fit to just lay down right on top of me with a sigh, "I'm exhausted."

"Well, given the delightful most recent events…I'd be concerned if you weren't." I sighed heavier than he did since he had me pinned.

He kissed the nape of my neck, and then rolled off. I turned onto my side and tugged at the blankets so they covered us. I scooted over and tucked my head under his chin. He groaned, "Oh, get off me."

"Shaddup."

He grumbled and slipped his arms around my body, pulling me tightly against him. And things became still. I laid there, breathing him in. The pyro was just as quiet, gently stroking a hand up and down my shoulder and spine. The fire's light danced along the walls of the tipi, making the paintings on the outside come to life.

I watched the shadow of one of the zig-zags move like a wave as the fire flickered. Then a sigh drifted from me, and I nuzzled at his throat.

* * *

I rubbed at one of my eyes, yawning groggily. Then I looked up at Warren who was still sleeping. The firebird was even snoring a little.

Smirking, I touched his face gently, "Warren?"

Nothing. Giving him a shake, I tried again, "Warren?"

"Mm…?" Came the quiet, grumbling reply.

"Where does one go to the bathroom around here?"

He pulled in a breath and then let out a long, sleepy sigh. Turning away from me, he said, "Grab a bush or dig a hole. Paper's in the bag."

I pushed myself up on his chest, and he groaned at the pressure, eyes still closed. My hands came up to rub at my face as I stood, immediately missing the warmth of the blankets and the pyro.

Glancing down at the fire pit, I saw there was a miniscule flame, still gnawing on the edges of a blackened sliver of wood. I tossed another two pieces on and watched the flame spread contentedly through them.

"Mmm, fire like wood," He mumbled.

Pushing out the door flap, I snorted, "I'm sure it does. Especially morning wood."

I currently had that problem.

However, when I stepped outside, there was a sharp difference in the temperature that saw fit to cure me of that ailment real quick. "Gods, it's freezing out here!" Quickly, I went over to the nearest bush to relieve myself.

"Give me a break, it's probably fifty-eight degrees. Besides…if I were you, that's not what I'd be worried about out there. I'd be more concerned about the kiddie hiking troupe that goes by here on Saturday mornings."

"Fuck!" I ducked slightly, finished my business and clambered back into the tipi. As I practically leapt back into the blankets, the pyro was laughing.

I glared at him, "You lying asshole."

He smirked, and sat up, twisting around to straddle me. "As if you couldn't forgive me. Besides, boy scouts seem to be letting non-heteros off the hook these days."

I pushed gently at him, a show at trying to get him off of me, "I was in the boy scouts for a while when I was younger you know." He didn't even budge.

But the pyro did cock an eyebrow at me, "My deepest apologies."

"Yeaaah…It was hard to get into. I got pretty tired of them bullying the girl scouts and then there was a kid with two moms so they had a field day. So I dropped out." Chuckling, I added, "You shoulda seen my dad's face when I told him I wasn't going anymore."

"Must've been absolutely devastated." The pyro replied, looking absently through the blankets.

"Yeah, but he got over it when I told him why. He's not always understanding…" I reached up to brush gently at the nearly healed cut on his lip. It was barely a red mark anymore. "but he pulls through when it counts." He grunted in affirmation, still searching idly through the blankets.

"So, people have been talking at school…"

"Whatever." Warren replied, looking down at me. "I already told you that I don't care what people think."

I shrugged, "There's a lot of confusion, and people are starting to get brave enough to ask me questions. 'Are you banging Warren Peace?' 'Was it just a one-night-stand since you're not talking anymore?' Things like that."

"You can tell anyone you please, whatever you please. At your own risk of course." He chuckled. So I chuckled back, hands moving up the firm muscles of his powerful thighs. "I'll just be sure to keep it a secret that,"

I was forced to pause when my words caught up in my throat as Warren produced the bottle of lube. "There it is." He grunted.

I licked my lips and chuckled, "Nice foreplay."

"You're drooling at least."

"A little."

He pressed the bottle into my hand and leaned down to ravish my mouth. It was morning, so that hard-on I'd had came _right_ back. Curse of a teenaged boy and everything. His hand moved between us and he roughly stroked me.

Those heated lips trailed down my front. Teeth and tongue made themselves known every few kisses. And oh gods, everything in my body tensed when he got very close to my-

"Ah!" I cried out when he wrapped his mouth around my cock.

His hot, wet tongue lavished attention upon the head, teeth grazing ever so slightly. That head of dark hair moved downward, and he just about swallowed me.

I lost count the number of times his head came up and went down for more. Tendons and muscles twitched throughout my body as I slid my hands into his hair.

But the very moment I did that, he pulled off of me, leaving me hard, and aching. "_Warren_," I whimpered as he kissed his way back up from my groin. He licked at a nipple and then licked his way up to mouth at my throat.

"You wanna use that on me or what?" He murmured.

"I-I'll uh, um," I stammered.

"Hm?" He hummed, brushing his hair back as he looked warmly down at me.

Trembling, I opened the bottle. His large hands covered mine and guided my shaky movements. Once my fingers were slick with lube, I reached down and wrapped my fist around his swollen cock, giving it a few slick strokes. He looped his hand around my wrist as I did, "That feels good and all, but I was thinking a little lower."

"Warren?" I managed to breathe after a moment of gaping at him.

"You know what you're supposed to do right?"

"Warren…?"

The firebird chuckled, "You look like you're caught between Christmas coming early or a firing squad.

"Warren, we've never…I…"

He stroked a palm along the side of my face, "You never asked."

"I didn't know I could! I mean, we've always…and we've never…!"

The pyro smiled and rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty aware of what we have and haven't done, Stronghold. I just," His smile faltered and he glanced away, "…wanted to try…"

I swallowed, hard, staring almost wide-eyed up at him. Was he…blushing?!

He glared down at me, "Shut up…"

Then he brushed his fingers along my lip, making me realize that I'd been chewing on it. "You want to try it or not?" He murmured, tracing my mouth.

"…yes…" I whispered. He closed his eyes as my breath slid along his fingertips.

"Just promise to listen to me. This is another one of those things that I've never done before, Stronghold." He said, opening his eyes again.

"I promise." I steadily agreed. Now, I didn't think anyone had ever topped Warren. That might have been stereotyping…but hearing him confirm it…just made this all the more…exciting.

And I'm sure he knew it with my cock pressing eagerly against the back of his thigh and all. He leaned down to kiss me, and I touched his face, stroking the strong plains of his cheekbones. "Warren, it's going to hurt."

The firebird paused, "I've been stabbed. I assure you, I've got a higher pain threshold than others. Not as high as yours, but pretty high. Sure, it'll hurt, but I trust you."

Then his tongue was wrestling with mine, and I groaned in my throat. He took my hand and guided it behind him.

_Cannot…believe…that this is actually fucking happening…_

I recalled how Warren had done it. And I figured I should be even gentler. This was brand new ground for the pyro, and I hoped to be able to do this again sometime…

_Wait…no, I don't…he's a…I don't know…_

Of course, I didn't exactly know what to expect. I'd never done this before either.

He growled against my lips when my fingers eased down his crease, and rubbed slowly at his entrance. Warren brought his fingers up to my mouth again, asking me this time for the distraction.

I curled my tongue around them, sucking lightly on his fingertips, making sure not to drive him to a too quick completion. But still, he hung his head at the sensation, pressing his face into my shoulder. And when I pressed a finger into him a little, I felt his entire body tense.

Gods, he was so warm. Excited thoughts and images came to my mind.

"Focus, Stronghold." He muttered. Then he shuddered out a breath at the hard suck I gave on his fingertips, lighting his sensitive nerve endings up temporarily. I pressed into him a little more, and moved along the walls of his insides, like he did with me. I kept my movements steady and predictable for him, making sure to keep a gentle flow of pleasure from his fingertips.

"Add one." He murmured.

I did. Slowly. I was shivering under him, not from the cold, but anxiety and excitement. He was still, his breath steady; he seemed to be taking this easier than I was. He instructed me to add more lube, and I did, shakily pressing two fingers back into him.

The pyro suddenly hissed, pulling his hand away from my mouth. His body tensed over me and for a second, I thought I'd hurt him or pissed him off or something. He growled, "Again."

Shocked, I didn't move. But he sure as hell did, pressing back on my hand, "_Again._" He demanded, voice gravelly and breathless.

_Oh gods. _I realized that I'd rubbed against that place. He had it too. That sweet spot. I searched for it, and was rewarded with a hearty groan from the pyro when I found it. A shudder stampeded through me, "Warren?"

He grunted against my throat, "Fuck." His teeth latched onto my shoulder and bit down.

I jumped under him, crying out.

His hand pressed flat against my chest. And I arched right into his touch, feeling the heat of his palm. "Yes,"

There was fire. But barely enough to drive a squeak from me. He even pulled off of my prodding fingers. And he pulled away too…but he had the lube.

I watched it slide out of the bottle into his palm. The pyro then firmly grasped my erection, stroking up and down to thoroughly coat me. A long cry slipped out of me. The lube was so hot and slippery, and on my fucking _cock_!

"Ahh, Warren, I'm,"

"No you're not," he growled, grabbing almost painfully at the base of my erection. This stopped my orgasm in its tracks. I almost sobbed at the built sensation and the ache.

"_Warren," _I pleaded.

"Hold off as long as you can, Baby. I want to feel it."

I threw my head back against the blankets, groaning. My firebird didn't know what he was doing to me. Or maybe he did and enjoyed torturing me. Coherence wasn't exactly my strong suit at this moment.

But it came back real quick when the pyro was lining me up under himself. "Warren, Warren, I, you," I babbled, and shut right up when he sank slowly down. My mouth hung open, every muscle in my body clenched an air shuddered in and out of me. I stared up at him. His eyes were closed, his jaw was stiff and his brow was furrowed, concentrating. A quiet breath left him as the head of my erection slid inside of him.

My eyes snapped shut and I pressed my lips together, moaning. _Oh my fucking…it's so _hot_…_

It was like the heat of his cock in me, but it was…me in him…

It was a completely new sensation, unexplored and so fucking good. And he was sinking down so slowly onto me, the sensation growing stronger with every inch. He paused halfway down. The two of us just breathed, trying so hard to adjust. His hands clenched on my shoulders and mine clenched against his thighs.

A loud groan pulled itself from me when he lifted himself back up. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

But then he was sinking down again, even slower this time. I wanted nothing more than to thrust up into that glorious heat. Oh gods, I fucking wanted to. "Warren,"

The pyro stilled. He breathed deeply and slowly. His voice was strained when he spoke next, "I know what your body wants you to do. But I want you to just stay still. You're doing so well, Baby. Can you keep still?"

I looked up into his collected gaze. He was concentrating so hard. I thought about how much it had hurt my first time. While sure, most of it had been pretty fucking enjoyable for me, it still hurt. And pain between the two of us was…well, giving is different than receiving.

"Y-yes." I shook as I spoke.

"Thank you," He breathed, closing his eyes again. Leaning his head forward, he sunk down onto me, fully seated in my lap.

Everything clenched. My back arched up towards him, and I was almost howling. Before I got too far off the blankets, I made myself lay flat, grabbing my face into both of my hands. I bit down on a yell, muffling it into my palms, trying so hard to contain the literal burning desire of my body.

My cock was sheathed completely inside him. His scorching heat surrounded me, driving my pleasured nerves sky high. My body shook with the effort I was putting in to keep still for my firebird.

_Keep still. Keep still. Keep still._

I was thinking so damn loud, I almost didn't heard the pyro breathing so deep and slow. His heated fingers wrapped around my wrists, pulling my hands away from my face. Leaning down, he captured my lips.

Shakily, I cupped his cheeks as he kissed me. He pulled his hips forward, and then pressed back, slowly. The pyro choked back a pained sound and stilled for a moment. I felt him swallow and he moved again, tilting his hips slightly to one side. A guttural groan left him and I gasped against his face. Then he was sitting up again, sitting heavily in my lap. The firebird weaved his fingers through mine on either of my hands and pressed them to the blankets above my head. And he began to ride me at a slow and steady pace.

"Ohhh…_god_!" I tossed my head back and forth, delirious with pleasure. "War…fuck, Warren,"

The pyro paused and twisted his hips on top of me. Immediately, he and I arched towards one another with the sensations. He growled, releasing my wrists. I sat up, wrapping my arms deliriously around him, burying my face into his chest. His arms wrapped firmly around me shoulders, swaying back and forth, riding me with a harder vigor.

"Warren!" I cried out as his burning fingertips dragged up my back.

"Fuck!" He hissed, hunching into my further. Then the pyro was shoving a hand in between us, pumping his erection. He pressed me back down to the blankets, and I reluctantly followed his guidance, but still kept my hands on his thighs. His skin was growing hotter by the second.

This, I liked this. And I liked it when I was in his position. I missed sex. I missed the way it could make me forget the world around me. Nothing mattered but the two of us and the way our bodies moved with one another.

I closed my eyes. _If I'd been the only one who mattered, he wouldn't have…_

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

My spine bowed, leaning down against the brawn's chest. He writhed, crying out against my throat. My entire body shivered with the tension built up inside. Fire licked at the back of my throat and my breath caught up in my chest.

"Will," I groaned, barely able to even hear myself over the pounding of fiery blood in my ears. My pissant let out a choked noise that sounded a bit like an elongated sob, his back arching beautifully, fingers clenching painfully around the edges of my thighs.

And then there was a flood of warm fluid inside of me. "F-fuck, Will!" I let out a strangled yell, my fist moving erratically over myself until a shock of fire went through my tendons, paralyzing me as I came. I collapsed heavily on top of the brawn, pulling myself off of him in the process of realizing utter exhaustion.

While each orgasm felt generally the same, if not stronger each time we were together, but this was new. I understood why he made a small noise of discomfort when I entered him. I knew why he screamed in delirious pleasure when I ground against his prostate. And now, I definitely knew why he whimpered each time I pulled out of him.

After feeling so full, being empty didn't feel right.

I mouthed at the side of his neck, feeling him tremble, his hands losing their painful grip on my thighs and falling to the blankets.

"Baby?" I breathed, shakily pushing myself up to look at him.

Stronghold's eyes were closed and he quivered, otherwise completely limp. He was so beautiful. I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Come back around, Stronghold."

Slowly his blue eyes fluttered open, and he heaved a sigh. "Well, that was fucking…excellent."

I chuckled, but was wary of the sudden distance growing in those ocean pools, "You're a pretty damn good ride."

"Yeah…thanks." The brawn said, smiling weakly. "What time is it?"

_Fuck…_

The walk back down was completely silent. I wracked my brain, trying to figure out what I'd done wrong. _Maybe we hadn't been ready to…have sex again yet._ But I was frustrated and a bit angry as well, so I didn't say anything to his silence. If everything wasn't okay, why'd he let us go that far? Had he intentionally led me on or something? What else was I supposed to do?

The campsite was the most personal thing I had. It was my place to escape the world. And I'd shown it to him, shared it with him. Where had all that tenderness gone?

He didn't seem angry at all. At least he wasn't carrying himself like I'd seen him carry himself this week. He looked…depressed.

_But why? _I implored to myself. _I'm trying so fucking hard…_

We cleared the trees into the back yard of my house. Civilization wasn't a comfort. In the woods, it had been only us. We'd been safe. And now, as we walked around the house, what we had didn't feel safe whatsoever. I felt like it was getting ready to fall down a bottomless well.

"Here," Stronghold said, taking off his bag and pulling the two pillows I'd given him. He handed them to me, and I took them silently. Slinging his bag back over his shoulder, he looked down to the ground. "I'm gonna head home."

"Do you want me to give you a ride?" I asked, trying desperately to get back that connection we'd had an hour ago.

He shook his head, "No. I'll take the bus." The brawn turned away from me to start down the driveway.

I couldn't help it then.

Dropping the pillows, my arms reached out by their own accord and folded themselves around my fading lover. Tightly I held him, turning him so he was crushed into my chest.

"Please, Will,"

He pulled back, but not hard enough to break free, just for show. I heard him shudder out a breath, allowing me to press my forehead to his.

"Do you…do you understand why I'm so…ugh, upset with you?" He whispered quaveringly through his teeth.

_You think I don't care about you…_

"Yes," I admitted quietly, stroking my fingers against the back of his neck.

"Then let me…let me be upset."

I pulled back a little to look him in the eye. My hand moved up to caress his cheek and he leaned away. Averting his gaze, he tried, "I know y-" he paused and swallowed before continuing, "I know you did all this…brought me here…to show how sorry you are and it was nice. It was." He chewed on his lip, taking a long, calming breath before looking at me again. "But I know in a few hours, while we're apart, I'll get stuck in my head, and I'll feel angry…depressed, annoyed, and all that crap."

I tightened my grip on him, "Then don't leave,"

"Warren, let go of me."

I looked down to the ground, took my hands off of him and stuffed them into my pockets.

"I want to reach a point where…I don't feel like this anymore." He said, his tone lightening. I looked back up into those beautiful blue eyes. "I want to stay angry at you. Try and fool myself that last night and this morning wasn't what I wanted. But I know that I wanted it. And I want nothing more than for things to go back to being the way they were. A part of me wished that you never told me…that I never knew."

I shook my head at that, "I wanted to be honest with you. I don't want to hide anything from you."

He pressed his lips together, nodding a little, looking away. "I'll uh, I'll catch the bus home…" I watched him tuck his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, taking a couple of starting steps backwards. "I'll see you."

Licking my lips, I threw another line into the water, "I understand if you don't…want to go to that Snow thing anymore…"

He stiffened and looked over his shoulder, "Maybe I'll see you there."

Nodding, I looked to the ground, "Okay. Whatever you want."

He was walking down the sidewalk, getting further away from me.

I went towards the door to go inside, stopping before I touched the knob. Grasping my keys in my fist, I turned and jogged after him.

"Will!"

He stopped, "Warren," he turned to look at me, "please, just let me,"

Cutting him off, I kissed him, cradling his head in my hands. Shock made him still, but habitually he leaned into my lips. His shaking hands fisted the front of my shirt. His breath heavily left him, and he drew in a sharp gasp.

Mouth wet, I pulled away and breathed against his lips, "I love you."

Stronghold's eyes slowly opened and he stared deliriously at me for a moment. It was as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard, maybe wondered if he'd even heard it. And those blues started to glisten.

His lips pressed firmly together and he shoved himself back from me and strode away with silent purpose. Breathless, I stared after him until he turned out of sight past the nearest house nearly a quarter mile down the road. He was heading toward the bus stop…and there was no sign of him turning back.

Swallowing hard, I brushed my hair back with both hands.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I climbed harshly onto the bus and sat in a seat away from anyone else. This was the second time I'd gotten on a bus in this neighborhood with tears streaming down from my eyes.

Elbows resting on my knees, I placed my face into my hands.

_You asshole…why'd you have to go and say that now?_


	50. Seeds

**Wow...It's been a hell of a ride. I'm sorry for the utter lateness. College started again, work, fencing, depression and stuff just piled up and I never had motivation to write. Well, that and I didn't want it to end. But alas. It's time. **

**The epilogue will follow shortly. **

**Love you all. **

**This is the end of Oxygen. But not the end of me and my brain-vomit. **

**It's been good to have you all here with me, helping me, guiding me, praising me, calling me on my bullshit. I appreciate it. **

**And I must say, it feels pretty good to have an army of fans to your shot at a fandom. I am the king-queen thingy of an awesome hive of awesome writers, readers, and friends who all have a slightly but wonderfully twisted mind to follow me through the past two years. **

**Kudos to YOU.**

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I checked my phone. Nothing. Not a call, not a message. Just nothing.

I tucked it into the pocket of the dress pants, glancing up as another bus-full of students arrived and hurried up the steps to the school. There were giant snowflakes silhouetted in the great windows that were alive with light. Icy blue garland wrapped around the railings going up the steps. Music loudly called invitingly from the open doors.

It was cheesy, but I didn't expect any less, nor more from a high school dance deemed the 'Snow Ball'. And I hadn't even been inside yet.

_Inside. Maybe he's inside…_I thought, trying to drag my hopes out of the deep, dank well they'd thrown themselves into. Swinging a leg over my Harley, I stood, and started up the steps after the frolicking group.

Staying a good distance behind them did _not_ mean that they didn't steal chances to glance back and whisper amongst themselves.

I sneered to myself. _What's wrong? Never seen Warren Peace at a school function before?_ Sadly, my own attempt at humor for myself failed to cheer me up.

The group in front of me threw open the doors to the gym. I got a brief glimpse of the dancing crowd before they swung closed again.

Sighing quietly, I tucked my hair behind one ear, _He always seemed to like that_, and tugged at the open edges of the vest I was wearing. I glanced down at myself. _This thing almost fits too well…_ Just another way I was disturbingly so much like him…

Once inside, I looked around. The whole place was littered with fake snow, icicles, snowflakes and icy blue garland and balloons. It was crowded. So many faces. I couldn't see him immediately. But it _was_ crowded…

There _were_ some familiar figures and faces over by the long food and drink adorned table. Glowstick was dancing around Goth Chick, scratch that, was _now_ standing awkwardly with his head hung and his hands tucked in his pockets, looking completely dejected. Popsicle was idly chatting with some tall, plain blonde girl. And then there was Hippie and Stagboy.

The pair was looking like a couple of lovers from the wood. She in her lively green, Mother Nature gown, with her red hair hanging down in long beautiful waves and curls…and he in his noble faded forest green, almost period-looking short cloak, tunic and boots, hair tied neatly back behind him.

He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She laughed. Then he pulled her hand toward him and proceeded to tie what looked like a hemp-weaved band around her wrist. She smiled up at him once it was tied on, stroking a thumb over it and blushingly leaning up to give him, also blushing, a tentative kiss.

They were so good for each other, it almost made me sick.

Sick and tired of seeing _others_ happy with one another.

Be that as it may, I still approached them. These…sort of almost…_friends_ of mine.

As I got closer, a familiar striped arm stretched across the room between Hippie and the dopey Sidekick teacher…Boy or something…and tipped up the cup of light blue punch all over him.

As I got even closer I saw that even the white table cloth was adorned little light blue snowflakes.

_They went completely _all _out…_

"The guys at this school are jerks." Hippie said, offering the damp man a light blue napkin.

"Thanks a lot." I offered, tucking my hands in my pockets.

Stagboy turned, and raised his eyebrows, looking me up and down.

Hippie seemed to be doing the same thing. I studied the band around her wrist. There were seeds woven into it. _Much too perfect for each other, _I thought. She smiled widely, "Will said you weren't gonna rent a tux!" she had to speak a little louder because of the chatter, the music and the noise.

"Yeah, Warren, you clean up great." The Stag offered, looking sincere and a little impressed.

"It's my dad's. He doesn't have much use for it in solitary."

Well…that made the two of them uncomfortable. _I guess mentioning the guy when I've beat up people for doing the same is probably the reason…I should get one of those filters that sits in between your ear and your mouth…_

"Cheese cube?" Hippie offered, making a not very subtle shift in the conversation.

Shaking my head, I looked around as casually as I could, "No thanks."

I noticed that scrawny redheaded Impersonator kid standing closely with Gwen Grayson who was looking well primped with her long gloves, chest-presenting dress and high hair.

_Huh…guess he got the date after all…_

"Looking for Will?" Stagboy asked, sipping from his icy blue punch. He glanced back at Boy who was adjusting his big red cummerbund, "Oh, it really is ginger ale."

The guy nodded with a wide, white smile, "Told ya. The bubbles are certainly not the bubbly!"

Trying out the subject change, I gestured at the band around her wrist, "Does this mean you two are a couple of old fashioned 'steadies'?"

Hippie smiled, touching the band, "They're sunflower seeds from his garden."

"In some cultures, presenting someone with seeds from one's garden is a declaration of affection, fertility, and love…" Stagboy provided. The two of them blushed, looking warmly at one another.

I groaned in disgust, and went back to scanning the crowd for Stronghold.

Hippie noticed and sympathetically reached out to pat my arm, but hesitated. "His parents are expecting that award, so they'll probably show up together, and fashionably late. His dad always talked about the big day where they'd get to reveal the Stronghold Three." She chuckled a little but brought it to a quick stop. "Don't worry. He'll show up."

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I hopped up to sit on the edge of the pool table, subtly listening to Mom and Dad squabble in the other room. The walls were tall and the whole place was fairly open down here in the Sanctum so it was difficult to be quiet. I fiddled with the remote and turned on the generous television.

Then, just to occupy my other hand, I leaned down and picked up a pool ball from the shelf and rolled it between my palm and my thigh.

"You look fine, Steve."

"Well, this is an important night!" Dad responded, probably fixing his hair or scrubbing scuffs off of his cape. Then he whispered, "Why isn't Will getting dressed? I thought he'd change his mind by now." The whisper echoed, feeling like it was magnified. "This is important! We all have to go! It's not just a dance, we're introducing the _world_ to the Stronghold Three! The greatest family of Super Heroes mankind has ever known!"

"Shh! I'll talk to him." There was a short pause, "Steve…what the hell is this?"

"Nothing." Dad replied quickly.

Their voices got a little tense and they spoke over each other…and it sounded like there was a small scuffle.

"Steve, let go of that thing,"

"It's a conversation starter!"

"Nobody wants to reminisce about _high school_!"

"Nooo! My ignorant, care-free years! _Damn_…"

"Just get ready to take off, you big _man_-_child_,"

I heard Mom's boots clicking across the floor, heading in my direction. I focused on the television, pretending I hadn't been eavesdropping. There was an hour-long special on about the history of Royal Pain, and I saw that it had been set to record. Dad had probably done that; to see how people viewed his deeds in an effort to keep the world safe. He was a little full of himself I knew, but he was as hard on himself as he was on others. And that made it difficult for him to let go of the past.

_Suppose that's where I get it from…_

"We're taking off now, hon. Still time to change your mind and come with us." She had a book tucked under one arm.

I set down the remote and rolled the pool ball in my hands, "Nah, I don't think so." I looked down at the floor. I thought about all the words gathering in my head. The frustration at Warren, at my friends…and at myself. He'd tried so hard to make it up to me this past week. And here I was, wallowing in my own self-pity and anger.

_But _why_ shouldn't I be allowed to be upset?_

He'd screwed up many times…he acknowledged that at least. Me? Well, I suppose I didn't really admit that I probably fucked up too.

_Tells me he loves me…something I've wanted for so long… that affection, that longing, that feeling…and I walked away from it…he's probably pissed at me too…probably doesn't even want to see me…so how can I possibly go to…_

"Hey, Mom?"

When I looked up, she was standing calmly and expectantly. Her gaze was uninhibited by her glasses, so I felt more exposed than usual under it.

"You ever feel like you messed something up so bad that you'll never be able to fix it?"

Her gaze softened even more, "People make mistakes, Will." She shook her head slightly, shrugging, "That's what high school's about. Hell, that's what life's about!" She paused, taking in what I hoped was a calm expression, not on the verge of tears. She reached and touched my arm, "The key is to learn from them."

Scoffing, I glanced away, "Well, I hope that I can learn to see it that way…my friends too…and…" I trailed off, careful not to look into her eyes.

"And Warren." She provided.

_Damn it…_

I looked back up at her and she offered me sympathy with her expression, not really smiling or frowning. "With the brooding around the house lately, I figured you had a fight with him. Spending the night with him last night didn't really seem to make you feel less…conflicted."

I shook my head, pressing my lips together, looking down at the pool ball in my hands. "I've been throwing everything in his face lately because he was with someone else when we…sort of broke up. I've been a dick to my friends because they kept asking about it and…I know it doesn't register as cheating but I couldn't help but feel…you know. And he told me he loved me today and I walked away. I'm afraid he won't forgive me for that."

Mom cut in before I could get myself anymore worked up, "Will, if someone is a _true_ friend, if someone _really_ cares, and I think Warren and your friends do, you'd be surprised at how understanding they can be."

…_Well…surprisingly…that actually feels…better…_

"Thanks."

She smiled gently, pushing her long fingers through my hair. Smiling back, I brushed it back down.

"Do me a favor? Put this away for me. I caught your father trying to sneak it out under his cape." She held out their yearbook, "He's convinced that everyone at the Snow Ball wants to reminisce with him."

I snorted, "I bet," and took the thin, aged book from her. "Will do."

"Thanks," She turned to walk away, "Love ya."

"Have fun," I nodded, giving a little wave, a part of me wanting desperately to call out for her to wait, let me dress for the Ball, and let me go with them. But I stayed silent, and after a few moments when she'd gone from my sight, I heard the air whoosh and screech as they took off into the air.

With a long sigh, I drummed my hands on the yearbook, and then hopped down from pool table. I plopped down on one of the chairs at the control panels, and started turning through the yearbook. Dad's Class President high school photo made me shake my head, seeing some of the physical similarities we shared.

_He won Best Smile…well, he does have a cool smile I guess._

Then there was the page where they'd done _Oklahoma_.

_Baron Battle…he and Warren look kinda similar too…aside from the overalls and the glasses…_

I flipped another page and found a collection of photos from the graduating class. Scanning lazily over the faces and the names seemed innocuous enough. But then I paused, seeing another face similar to one I knew. _Very _similar sans the large glasses and the awkward not-really smile.

"That's weird." I muttered, flipping forward through the pages to find another glimpse of this face. I'd skimmed over it before, maybe had a conversation about it with the folks…but this time…

The Science Club photo yielded another photo. There she stood, unsmiling and grim, standing in the midst of her grinning fellows. My breath came into my chest in surprise. "_Gwen_?" Leaning closer, I studied her face. Oh Gods, it looked _so_ much like Gwen. I distinctly recognized more than several features. But it couldn't be her. _These photos are from years and years and _years_ ago…_

My eyes drifted down to the monster of a science project cradled in the hands of the girl in the photo. _That_, I definitely recognized without question.

"The weapon in question is known as 'The Pacifier'."

I looked up at the television. There were some old photos of the weapon spanning the screen as the commentary went on. A blurry old black and white photo of some guy with a horned helmet on, wielding the weapon. "No one knows the purpose of Royal Pain's gun, other than that it can fire a white, and a blue beam of light."

I almost heard Gwen in my head with a correction _"Ray."_

"Oh no."

I looked down the great hall where the pedestal stood for the prize, recovered from the fire downtown. That relief I tried to feel at it still being there didn't last long. "Oh no, no, no, no, no." I chanted, hurrying over to the charred, melted remains of the weapon.

I grabbed it and easily pulled it into two pieces.

Bits of scrap metal spilled onto the floor at my feet, giving the 'weapon' false weight. There was nothing inside this thing that would even indicate that it was a weapon. And I should know, Gwen was the one who taught me how to put together a ray gun.

I dropped the remains of the decoy in disbelief. "I gotta get to Sky High."

Yanking out my wallet, I pulled the card that Ron Wilson, bus driver, had given me on the first day of school.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

The waiting was driving me nuts. Watching the idiots dance idiotically with each other to bad music wasn't helping. A slow song came on at one point and I'd forced myself to look at the floor as people paired up and swayed to the rhythm, kissing and fondling one another and things like that.

I wasn't jealous. I mean, it wasn't like he and I had ever had a relationship like that. _But we could…_

I was infinitely appalled and impressed with myself for that thought.

_Can't exactly imagine myself slow dancing_. I hadn't done anything like dancing since the last powwow I'd attended maybe seven or eight years ago. And the closest thing I'd ever done to slow dancing was standing on Mom's feet as a very small child.

It was an uncomfortable thought, slow dancing. But I imagined that it would please Stronghold. _Maybe I'll try it…if he shows up…_

Hippie and Stagboy came over for a drink, taking a break from the dancing. Popsicle, Glowstick and Goth Chick wandered over just as a spotlight flicked loudly on and the music stopped.

Powers' voice rang out, "Welcome, Commander and Jetstream!"

The crowd broke out into fond applause. I wasn't clapping, I was trying to see over heads. And everything last bit of hope in me fell when I saw the two Heroes wading through the parting crowd by themselves.

The principal's voice faded. Turning away, I reached up to brush at my mouth. _He's not here. He's not coming. _

"And now, please help me welcome the head of the Snow Ball committee, the girl who made all this possible, Gwen Grayson."

More applause.

I plucked at the lapels of the jacket and the thin black tie. _I look ridiculous…_

A soft, creamy hand settled on my wrist. Hippie looked at me with sympathetic eyes. Glancing around the little half circle they'd formed around me, they all had roughly the same expression aimed at me. That was something I wasn't used to. _Friends…_

"Thank you Principal Powers. And a very special thank you goes to our guests of honor and the recipients of our first ever Hero of the Year Award, the Commander and Jetstream!"

Applause.

All I wanted however was to get the hell out of here.

"And to mark this occasion, we planned a special tribute to the most powerful super

being to ever walk the halls of Sky High."

I shook my head and started towards the door. _Yeah, I'll be walking the halls out of here._

"Me!"

And then there was a familiar burst of voltage.

I froze in my tracks, and turned.

And there was the whacko who ran my ass over with his, excuse me, _her_, huge black van. Black and gold computer chip armor with a horned helm that had a tinted visor. Bright bolts of electricity spread from her gloved hands like wavering webs, drawing out panels on either side of her that read in eerie yellow letters 'Royal Pain'. Behind her, the banner that congratulated the Commander and Jetstream fluttered to the floor.

The little goblin guy danced up the steps and gave the podium a slap. And from it he produced a large gun, and while laughing like a hyena, handed it to the bitch.

_Oh, we're in trouble..._

Gasps rang out, and people backed away. The skinny, awkward redheaded Impersonator kid looked flabbergasted, not expecting this of his date. And after a brief moment of silence…the Commander slowly worked out, "Royal Pain is a girl."

If I weren't scanning the exits, I would've punched the blowhard.

That warped voice sounded. "Yes, I'm a girl, you idiot! How I ever lost to a fool like you, I'll never know. Now prepare to be _pacified_."

I wrapped my fingers around Hippie's wrist and edged slowly back. The rest of the group seemed to notice and cautiously followed my lead.

The Commander and Jetstream placed their fists heroically on their hips, making a stand. "Do you honestly think you can kill me with that little toy gun of yours?"

"My dear Commander, who said anything about killing you?"

Suddenly, two rays of light jumped from the end of the gun, one pure white, and the other electrically pale blue, driving straight into the Hero's chest.

I had to shield my eyes against the onslaught, it was so damn bright. The cry of a baby rang out in the gym, and Jetstream yanked back the Commander's cape where it pooled on the floor. I couldn't see much, but the guy's body was distinctly smaller, and _that_ was a very small head poking out of the costume.

_Shit!_

Things were putting themselves together in my head. And I didn't like how much everything made sense.

Now Jetstream was a toddler, in the arms of a slowly regressing Boy. Panic erupted in the place as the rays wound through the crowd. I scanned the exits again. Bars were being lowered down in front of the doors on all sides by Lash, Speed and the cheerleader clones as people scrambled, screaming, to escape.

Boomer came over to me, "Hothead! Find an exit! Get as many people out as you can!" I didn't need telling twice, especially since he was blasted in the face, and was shrinking down.

"Move, _now_!" I barked, full on grabbing Hippie's wrist.

With the doors all blocked, all we had was the air duct system, and I recalled seeing one on the far wall where I'd sulked for a while during the evening.

"C'mon!"

Hippie tugged back on my grip, "Silvanus! No!"

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Silvanus sinking down to his knees, with the rays digging into his back. "Run!" He yelled, before shrinking into his clothes.

I had to wrench hard on her wrist to keep her from running back to him. It probably hurt her, but that was better than what was happening here. There was so much chaos that nobody but Popsicle, Glowstick and Goth Chick managed to follow us.

_Where is-there it is!_

Letting go of the nature-lover's wrist, I held out a hand to make sure they weren't too close. I launched a ball of fire toward the screen to spark the bolts off. Sure enough, the thing clattered to the floor. Reaching behind me, I pushed Goth Chick forward. She shoved the screen aside and crawled frantically in. I shoved the others in behind her and ducked in after them.

_Fuck, okay, less trouble. But still fucked._

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

The landing was smooth, silent and calculated despite Ron Wilson, bus driver telling me that his GPS and standard computing system had gone all wonky. I would've offered him a pat on the back if I wasn't so freaked out.

"Thanks again for the lift, Ron." I stood, "Now, if I'm not back in thirty minutes-"

He cut me off, total game-face, "Come in after ya, got it!"

"I was gonna say 'go get help'." I offered instead. Because no offence to the guy, but he wasn't exactly imposing, and without powers, he was probably just going to get hurt…or dead. And I wouldn't be the cause of that. Everyone was probably in enough trouble as it was because of me.

"Go get help. Got it!" He fixed. "Now get in there!"

Nodding, I started down the stairs…as the bus doors began to close.

And of course, I went right through them, glass flying everywhere and really not bothering me whatsoever.

"Sorry!" he called as I ran up the steps.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"Where the hell are we?" Goth Chick asked, blindly leading the way as we crawled through the vent tunnel.

"Hey, Warren, how about a torch?" Popsicle suggested.

_And this guy is supposed to be smart…_Light up a fire in a small space where highly oxygenated air flows so damn easily and the results are usually not so likeable. "Only if you wanna get barbecued."

And then Glowstick was glowing a radioactive greenish yellow, crawling carefully around Goth Chick and Hippie. "Ladies, _if_ I may." He proudly stated.

_Oh…well, that's useful._

"Then all the reindeer loved him."

"Way to glow, Zack!"

"Thanks, man."

"Shut up and keep moving. My childhood was crappy enough the first time around." I grunted, shaking my head.

"I can see some light up ahead that's definitely not mine!" he called back after a few minutes of crawling. "Might be a way out!"

"And here I was enjoying the view," Goth Chick joked.

That made the giant falter, and glow a bit brighter.

We came to a halt as he found us another vent screen.

"This thing is stuck pretty good." He groaned, pushing on it.

I nudged Popsicle a bit, "Let me get up there, maybe I can,"

But the screen was yanked off.

"Whoa! Holy fu-oh, ha! 'Sup, kid?!" Glowstick laughingly exclaimed. He tilted his head down and looked at us through his long legs, "Guys, it's Will!"

Fire burned yearningly at the back of my throat. He was _here_!

But now he was in as much danger as we were.

Carefully, we all managed to exit the tunnel, me at the rear. As I climbed out, I found those beautiful blues. There was no anger, or bitterness or tears. He looked relieved to see me, in fact. And I wanted nothing more than to grab him, ravage his mouth, throw him on the back of my bike and get the hell out of here.

"I-I…I tried calling you, and texting you."

I glanced around to make sure he was talking to me and shook my head, "I didn't get anything. She must've fucked up communication frequencies or something."

"Yeah, the gear on the bus went all," He seemed to start, realizing something. "Guys, you're _never_ going to believe this!" He looked around at us, "Gwen,"

"Is Royal Pain's daughter." Hippie finished, still shaken from watching her boyfriend go back sixteen and a half years.

"Yeah," _Will_ nodded, "And she,"

"Stole the Pacifier." I provided, glancing protectively up and down the hallways for any movement.

"Yeah, and she turned everyone into babies, including your parents, dude." Glowstick interjected, grim and fearful.

He stared, dumbfounded for a moment. "Oh-_kay_…that, I didn't know." His fists clenched, ready for a fight.

"I think this is even more than the great Will Stronghold can handle." Hippie said, shaking her head.

"She's right," Stronghold nodded, "It's gonna take all of us."

"All of _who_?" Goth Chick asked, scoffing. "You and Warren? The rest of us are only Sidekicks…with not the greatest of powers."

"Just because you have powers doesn't make you a Hero. And I know that better than anyone here right now." Those blue eyes looked towards me. "Sometimes it just makes you a jerk…well _me _a jerk."

I shook my head, hearing what he wasn't saying as well as what he was, "I deserved it. And I'm pretty sure that I'm the jerk."

"We get it, you've both been jerks," Hippie shook her head, stepping back and nudging him closer to me.

"Just french and make up for fuck's sake before I end up with baby chub!" Goth Chick cried, crossing her arms, looking up and down the hallway.

"Warren…i-in case Gwen ends up killing me tonight," he started, breathing a little more nervously. Unable to bear any more, I grabbed the back of his head and crushed his lips to mine. The brawn gasped, and fisted the lapels of my fa…_my_ jacket.

"Isn't that sweet?"

A little bit of saliva stretched between our mouths as we pulled away, looking around.

"I _hate_ sweet!"

It was Cheerleader, Lash and Speed.

_Now I have reasonable cause to singe their asses off. _I thought, shrugging out of my jacket. "You guys are a part of this too?" Stronghold wondered out loud. Then he shook his head as I rolled up my sleeves, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Come on. We can handle these clowns. Then you and I can take care of Grayson." I said, giving him a nudge.

"If I may, the best strategy in this situation is to send the strongest of us, in other words Will, to intercept Gwen before she comes for us or gets away, and leave us to keep these guys from going back to help Gwen or intercept Will." Popsicle said, nervously pushing up his glasses, not liking where his own plan was headed as the three wannabe villains approached.

"Hell fucking _no_," I growled, taking a hold of Stronghold's hand.

He looked up at me, "Ethan's right. It's my fault she has the Pacifier. I gotta stop her." He glanced towards Lash, Speed and Cheerleader. "Besides, you'll be right behind me. Not like _these_ guys'll take that long."

I glanced over at the three stooges, and shook my head back at him, "Will, I,"

He kissed me again, "It'll be okay."

Looking down to the floor, I swallowed. I wanted to think that none of this mattered. That all I wanted to do was take Stronghold and just leave. But the look in his eyes told me otherwise. There was more to this than the two of us. It was like that time where I'd saved that woman in the alley outside _The Gray Cue_. I had a responsibility that had sort of fallen into my lap.

What would the world be if I let myself be selfish?

"Alright. Go…before I change my mind."

He gave my hand one final squeeze before plowing right through a wall.

"Finesse was never one of his finer points," Hippie chuckled.

"Let's just knock the shit out of these fuckers and go after Stronghold." I growled, lighting up my hands.

"Yeah, hate to be that person, but good luck with that." Goth Chick said, grabbing Glow Stick by the lapel and climbed back into the air duct where they would be somewhat safe. "I'm not gonna be a guinea pig burger today."

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

The gym was completely empty.

I ran through the school towards the entrance, and skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs. There she was, delivering what sounded like a monologue to a bundle. And that bundle had a baby in it. And who the hell else would she be delivering a triumphant monologue to? _Shit…_

"This may just be the finest Super Villain speech ever given…" Then she cooed mockingly, "And you don't even know what I'm saying."

"But I do."

She turned around, and glared up the stairs at me.

_Oh hell, now what?_

"Look…I'm…I'm sorry that my parents destroyed your mom. Now…put – my – dad…down."

And she chuckled. _And here's where it always gets ugly…_

"No one could defeat Royal Pain. When the Pacifier exploded, I wasn't destroyed." She handed my dad over to her goblin sidekick. "I was merely turned into a baby." She smirked, "Stitches took me away and raised me as his daughter,"

"Daddy's little girl!" Stitches said loudly, and started laughing like a hyena.

"I told you never to CALL ME THAT!"

The little guy cried out and skipped to the bus.

"Lunatic…" She ground through her teeth. Slowly, she opened her black-lines eyes. She might have pretty if there wasn't such a pit of nausea forming in my stomach. I knew what she was going to tell me and she noticed.

"That'sright. Royal Pain wasn't my mother. Royal Pain is _me_!"

"Oh my gods…" I cringed, thinking back to my first day at Sky High. "I had a crush on an old lady…" _Not to mention had fantasies…ew…_

But then she launched into the air and came flying at me. I tried planting my feet, but she lifted me right off of the ground. One, two, three, four, five, six, _so_ many walls and windows fell prey against my back as my hair whipped about my face.

It kind of hurt, but adrenaline was flying through my veins now, so it was little than an annoyance.

"Ow!"

Electricity pulsed around me as I was thrown to the gym floor. Well, _that _hurt. Coughing, I tried to catch my breath and stop my hands shaking as I attempted to get up.

I saw her come at me out of the corner of my eye through my hair. She was charging up her fists to slam down on my spine. So, my first instinct was the throw myself at her, trusting my body to know what to do.

The two of us scattered across the light-spattered floor. As soon as I was on my feet, she tried to punch me with those charged knuckles. Ducking one way, I caught her arm and sent her spinning off across the room to land hard on a table.

It'd been a long time since I'd used my powers for anything close to violence. Save the Citizen had to be the last time. But even then, I don't think I was quite fighting for my life. For everyone's life. _Yeah, no pressure, Will._

Slamming Gwen around seemed effective, so I grabbed her by the ankle and flipped her over my head like a club to crash through another table, causing another volt. And another table and another volt. And then right across the gym, into those icy blue and white balloons.

Charging across the room after her, I yelled out, winding up a blow. And then I was the one being sent flying. Right into the computerized panels. I landed hard, and my body shook as electricity moved shockingly through my limbs. I appreciated pain as much as the next masochist, but this was _not _the good kind of pain.

Fire didn't assault me down to my blood cells.

Still shaking, I shoved myself back up, trying to ignore everything twitching. A sloppy attempt at a kick got me spun around and knocked through a podium.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

"Here's the antigravity room."

Everything itched as I stood over them outside the boiler room where they'd gotten the blue prints.

"Didn't Royal Pain seal off every route?"

It had been satisfying to send Chubby Chaser through a wall, but less satisfying when Hippie came running to tell us that the whole damn place was about to fall out of the sky.

I was about ready to burn through every damn wall in this place to get to him, wherever he was right now.

"What about this conduit?"

"Yeah right, you'd have to be like a rat to fit in there."

And then they all looked at Goth Chick. She tensed, "Oh, great."

"Get her in the antigravity room, _now. _I'm going after Stronghold." I growled, pushing off the wall.

Hippie jumped up, "I'm going with you."

"Keep up with me then," I grunted, and took off.

* * *

**~Will's POV~**

I yelled out when she tossed me clear across the gym, her suit humming with power. After still on the floor, I wiped blood off of my cheek from a static cut and rolled onto my back. Giving way to my strength and my body, I kicked my legs upward as she came at me. Her flight pattern broke and she went straight through the disco ball head-first.

"I am _so _done with this!" I shouted as she came back down. Leaping on top of her, I threw back a fist to punch her right in that stupid helmet.

"Will!"

Looking up, I saw my Layla and my firebird come running into the gym. Relief washed through me to see that they were okay. A recognition beep sounded and I felt the Gwen's suit heat up underneath me. And then with a shocking fist to the jaw, I was once again sent flying. And crashing. Right through the windows.

And all at once my nightmares were coming true as I fell helplessly through open space in the chill of the biting air. I screamed. Unable to save my friends. And unable to save myself.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

I heard Hippie scream out. I thought maybe I did too. But everything seemed to die in my throat. Everything dried out inside of me and I felt like an empty husk. Fire rose to lick at the back of my throat. My heart pounded in rage. Scorching red fire nipped at the air around me.

"And there goes your last chance of stopping me."

"We'll see about that," I growled, striding forward, the polish on the gym floor steaming with every step.

"Oh come now, Warren. I've beaten you before, I can do it again." The warped voice laughed. "You're a smart little boy, you probably figured out how we got here and how it's going to end."

"You're a manipulative bitch."

"Ooh, original."

"I'm gonna fucking kill you. You tried to kill him before, and now you've..." Anger and hatred caught my words up in my throat.

"I only exploited the insecurities he already had, and gave him a little Super Power-suppressor! The attempted suicide was just a side effect!" She laughed.

"You can tell your maker that when I kill you." I hissed, flames gathering vigorously in my palms. "Ooh, you're so angry. Look at this, Warren. You're controlled by your emotions. Just like your father."

"Maybe. But he kicked your ass a few times too!" I yelled, the fire raging all around her like a prison. The suit she wore began to sheen and a protesting spark exploded out of her shoulder. She flipped up a cap on her forearm and withdrew a small metal disk.

"I always had a contingency plan. You should never let anyone know your weaknesses, Warren." With that, she threw the disk. It sliced through my fire like it was nothing and carved through the air at me…spouting six legs.

Like needles, those six legs drove into my chest, driving a cry out of me as it latched on. And then…things began to grow cold.

_Fuck!_

I grabbed at the device and a volt cut sharply into my hands. I yelled out in pain, sinking to my knees. Vaguely, I felt my fire fading away around me. The warmth was going away. I couldn't breathe.

It was Save the Citizen all over again.

It was so cold. Biting like icy knives all through-out my body. It hurt so much. I couldn't breathe.

"Warren!"

I tried grabbing at the disk. With a choked sound, I hit the floor, rolling onto my back. Every time I touched it, it shocked me, and the needles seemed to grow colder in my chest. And every time I touched it, the wicked contraption drew oxygen out of my lungs faster.

My body shivered and trembled. I grabbed Hippie's hand when she tried to touch it. Electricity was moving through my nerves, swaying and dancing with the freezing cold.

Somewhere far away, Royal Pain was laughing. Bidding me a fond farewell.

Things seemed to grow quieter as I struggled to hold onto consciousness.

"Stop her," I tried saying, my eyelids fluttering.

Hippie held tightly onto my hands. I could barely just feel her warmth. Shivering, I leaned closer to her to try and draw her heat to me. She shifted, cradling my head into her lap. Warm water dripped onto my face. She was crying. She wiped under my eyes. I was crying.

My broken pants got shorter and shorter. Somewhere in me, I realized that the frozen winter moving through my body was death. Still, I struggled to hang on. "Stop her," I tried again.

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

The air felt different. Like it moved with me. Like I moved with it. Like it held me. Like I held it. Like it trusted me. Like I trusted it.

Opening my eyes, I found myself looking back through the window I had just crashed through. Was I dead?

Nope, that was a sound of shock as Gwen turned to look at me.

Unless I was a ghost. Well then, I could still try.

"Surprised? So am I!" I laughed giddily, feeling weightless and free.

But then I saw Warren collapsed on the floor, twitching and shuddering. Layla held his head in her lap, looking hopelessly over at me.

"You're flying?!"

My jaw stiffened. How _dare _she hurt him…My body cut through the wind, sending me into the gym to grab her under the arms, only to slam her back down to the floor, cracking and collapsing it under her. This time I didn't stop. I punched her right in the front of her stupid helmet. And the thing busted into a hundred pieces, sending her hair flying about her head in a spark-filled wave.

And just as I was about to punch her in that stupid, horrible face, Layla cried out, "Will!"

Looking over at her, she looked desperately back down to Warren.

Abandoning my violent rage, my heart softened in fear as I hurried over to the two of them. Warren's eyes were rolled back into his head, and he clearly couldn't breathe. Touching his hand, I found it to be ice-cold. My eyes found the culprit to be a metal disk attached to his sternum with legs puncturing deep into his lungs. Blood speckled his shirt where the needles went in.

I reached for the ravenous metal fucker, but Layla stopped me. "It'll shock you!"

"I'm indestructible!" I growled, reaching for it again. The redhead grabbed my hand this time, "He's not! It'll kill him faster!"

"Warren, Warren, look at me." I said.

He twitched, eyes rolling around, trying to focus. Holding his face in my hands, I pressed my lips over his and exhaled slowly. A small sound in his throat was my response. That was something. Pulling back slightly, I looked down at him. Those dark chocolate eyes focused, only for a brief moment before rolling back again. It wasn't enough oxygen. "No, Warren, stay here!" I pinched his nose closed this time, and breathed air into his mouth. Over and over again. Trying to keep him alive…to delay what had to be coming.

Wind came rushing into the gym. The floor shook beneath us. The air seemed to screech, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Will! The school is falling!"

I looked around. Chairs and tables shook across the floor, and balloons were flying everywhere.

I grabbed Layla's hand, "Please, don't let him die."

She stared fearfully into my eyes with those green pools before nodding. She leaned down and placed her mouth over Warren's to breathe a few more seconds of life into him. It would be of no use if the school fell. Everyone would be dead. Including Warren. My firebird.

My body took over and I took off into the air like a shot. Once I was safely away from the jagged edges of the broken window, I flew down under the metal island and pushed upwards with all my might.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~**

Death wasn't an end to pain. It fucking hurt like fucking hell frozen over. I wasn't sure if life was much better. Every breathe of wonderful, hot air into my lungs was paradise, but it lasted mere seconds before it faded away like a lie. It slowed the ice from burrowing into my heart, the core of my fire and my existence. It hurt to remain a mere breath away from death. I wanted it all to stop so much. At this point, I'd take it either way. Death. Life. It didn't matter anymore.

Hippie seemed to feel it. My hopelessness.

Just barely, I managed to focus my eyes on her as she leaned away. I tried to hold that oxygen she'd given me in as long as I could. The redhead stared down at my chest before reaching for it again.

_Don't…_

She leaned down to give me another breath.

Black smudges started taking over the edges of my eyesight as I managed to look down. She held her wrist closely to the hellish device. A wild series of snaps sounded and pointed roots shot forth from the seeds adorning the band around her wrist and burrowed into the contraption. She shrieked as an explosion sparked between us, and I could taste smoke on my tongue.

All at once, air moved back into my lungs and I coughed, trying to turn away from her mouth. Heat moved down my throat, burning the ice. It hurt. But I could breathe again. Breathe. Air. Loud. Choky. Grateful. Wonderful oxygen.

_Life…life, I want life,_ thoughts deliriously moved about my head. _Gangrene vegetable. Am I a vegetable? Fucking computers all day._

"Shh, just breathe," Hippie murmured, and I felt her warm fingers clear my hair away from my face.

Just a moment ago, everything had been in chaos. Wind had been whistling through my ears and the school itself seemed to groan and shudder. But now there was nothing.

What had happened?

"Warren!"

_Will, Baby. My pissant._

"I'm here."

"Oh, I said that…out loud." I panted, eyes still closed.

"Don't try to move yet. You were nearly gone." Hippie said.

"War?" He asked, closer this time. His lips pressed against my temple. "I was so scared." He breathed into my ear. His breath was so warm.

His lips settled gently over mine. Oh, they were so warm.

"I told you…I…I wasn't into…PDA."

I heard the two of them breathily chuckle. I couldn't stop listening to all of us breathe. Oxygen tasted so good. Warm and comforting.

I tried opening my eyes. But things swayed and spun, making me want to be sick. So I closed them again.

"For the record, _she _kissed _me_."


	51. Epilogue

**Sorry, I've been preparing for an audition for Steve Martin's _Picasso at the Lapin Agile_. A pretty hilarious play. I'm going for Picasso ^_^**

**Well now, it's been a hell of a ride. **

**I've changed so much since this first started and so much has happened to me. I know it's not a profitable novel, but you tend to grow attached to something you worked so long on. I mean sure, I dragged it on a little with the very not-so-brief updates and loaded chapters. I got a little tired of it, but I'm still shocked that it's over. **

**This is the extended epilogue. I added more to it before posting it. It needed a little more uh...porn...so boom, porn. Isn't that the best way to end a story? Porn? **

**Yep. **

**I hope I still hear from you guys. **

**Thanks for standing by me. **

**Rekindle is getting more attention from me, hope you enjoy that as well. I've also been working on a couple more. I'm trying to get more than a few chapters ahead of myself so we can all enjoy a more timely habit of posting chapters from me.**

**Enjoy, for this is the official ending of Oxygen.**

**See you around ^_^**

* * *

**~Will's POV~ **

The quarter-moon shined sheepishly through the leaves on the trees. Around here the leaves don't fall that much. And not many turn at all. Still, it was an unusually cold night, even for the start of winter.

However, I didn't feel it as the adrenaline and joy of being alive and flying stampeded through my veins.

I dodged around the trees, chasing Warren, our laughter ringing out through the chilled air.

Orange light blazed below. Fire moved along his body, launching him effortlessly through the air. Letting out a triumphant "Aha!" I banked hard left and downwards to catch him in our playful game of hide and seek.

The pyro was obviously aware of my approach because the fire went out almost instantly, causing me to lose track of him in the dark. I heard him thump to the ground, and some twigs snapped as he cut through the ferns and the brush.

Slowing my descent, I came to a rest a few feet from the forest floor. Squinting, I looked around me.

"Ollie ollie oxen free!"

My voice echoed through the quiet.

Hearing the sound of flames cutting through the air, I whipped around just as he wrapped his arms around me, bringing us both down to the hard, cold ground.

I grunted and then let out a groan as he chuckled. The firebird's mouth was so hot against my throat as he kissed my sensitive skin. His teeth nipped their way along the side of my neck. An unabated moan left me. My nerves were zinging with excitement. Oh man, we were alive. So alive. And fucking horny…

He growled, claiming my lips brutally. His hands were everywhere, pulling and tugging at my clothes without shame. They were still careful with the bandaged wounds on his palms from the electric burns and cuts. My own fingers however had no gentleness as they did the same, probably frantically scraping and bruising his skin. I felt his warm finger tips undoing the button and zipper on my jeans.

"Let me, let me," I breathlessly moaned, trying to shove a hand down between us to make a grab for the button on the jeans he'd changed into.

Chuckling deviously, he scooted down, trailing his tongue along my exposed abs. His long, wonderful hair tickled my skin as he moved further down.

"Warren, _ohh_,"

I lifted my head, and watched him mouth at my hard cock through the tighter fabric of my boxer briefs. A shudder moved through me, my muscles tightening in pleasure. I watched his tongue move along the blue fabric, following the rigid flesh to the damp spot.

Delicately, his fingertips slipped under my waist band. Swallowing, I raised my hips, trying to encourage him. Chuckling, Warren made sure to drag my waist band down agonizingly slow. His breath was very hot and deliciously moist on my skin. Biting down on my lip, I was just about mewling.

Then I was completely exposed to the night air. The night air still wasn't really affecting me. Especially not with my lover so close. He licked a line up the vein on the underside of my erection. Clenching my fists in the dirt and scarce dead leaves on the forest floor was all I could do to keep from grabbing him by the hair to shove myself effectively into his mouth.

"Please, stop teasing m-me," I begged.

He chuckled again, "I'm surprised you haven't come already."

"You had to s-say _that_!" I yelled out as he took me into his mouth, sucking me down. My legs stiffened, feet planted firmly on the ground, lifting my hips. My heart was racing and I was damn close. Warren didn't seem to mind, swirling his hot tongue around my shaft, and sucking hard on the head.

Crying out on each breath, my body trembled. And then I was screaming, shooting down his throat as waves of my orgasm rampaged through me.

I heard him laugh after I'd sunk heavily down to the ground.

A large hand slipped under my neck and lifted my head. With a little struggle, I opened my eyes. His dark chocolate eyes were so warm and loving as he smirked down at me. There was a dab of ejaculate on the corner of his mouth.

Leaning up, I licked it off, tangling my fingers through his hair.

"We're about a hundred feet from the campsite." He murmured, slipping his tongue into my mouth.

"That close?"

"Yeah. And whoever gets there first gets to fuck the other."

My eyes widened, "Uh,"

He chuckled, and shoved himself up to his feet. Fire moved along his limbs and he took off at a sprint right up into the air.

"That's not fair! My pants are around my knees!" I yelled.

* * *

Chirping birds stirred me from my deep slumber. I opened my eyes and saw the sunlit walls of Warren's tipi. The painted zig zags and the firebird were silhouetted, and I for a moment, I just stared at the art my love had made.

My breath was coming a little harder than normal. And I realized that it was because I had a dead weight of warm, leanly muscled pyro resting right on top of me.

He was snoring lightly, his arms were under mine, and loosely wrapped around my upper chest. Our legs were also tangled together. I thought to myself that his hands were probably horribly asleep and numb.

Trying not to jostle my lover yet, I carefully reached up to rub at my eyes. I paused, taking in our current state and blushed feverishly.

Clenching my muscles confirmed it.

Warren was…still inside me…

A quiet grunt sounded from the sleeping pyro as I flexed. I felt his heated cock twitch in interest. I swallowed hard, pressing my face into the pillows. I supposed that right after climaxing, the two of us fell right asleep. After the night we'd had, we'd been bone-tired, and slightly injured. Damn, we'd slept so heavily.

I'd felt a little groggy and stiff waking up. The static cuts I'd had the night before had mostly faded from what I could feel. Now, I was wide-awake and feeling confined as I never had before. It wasn't exactly a bad experience feeling my firebird harden slightly inside me after sleeping flaccidly and contentedly. We'd probably slept through what had been left of the night and surely most of the morning.

"Warren," I groaned, fingers weaving in between his. Nothing. I moved my shoulder a little, jostling him.

"Warren,"

"Uh," was the reply.

So I clenched my muscles again.

The pyro grunted again, a little louder this time. His hips involuntarily gave an almost-thrust. Pressing my lips together, I muffled a cry.

He groaned.

Well, this was nice.

So, I jerked my hips back a little.

The firebird let out another small groan, still half-asleep. Then there was a thrust that was more of an actual thrust than an almost-thrust.

The friction and heat burned. There was no lube or spit to slick the way whatsoever. Still…I kinda liked it.

I swallowed as he rutted himself into me a few more times, "_Warren_,"

"Mm," he cleared his throat, and I felt his languid muscles stiffen a bit as he awoke and realized what he was doing. "Shit…sorry, Baby," he groaned, pushing himself up slightly.

"No," I whimpered when he carefully pulled himself from me. The friction was almost unbearable, and I felt so empty afterward.

* * *

**~Warren's POV~ **

His little noise of protest was far sexier than it had any right being. Especially since it sounded like he said "No." With a shudder, I pulled myself from him and ran a comforting hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Baby."

The brawn swallowed loudly, and shifted, trying to roll over. Obliging him room to move, I lifted myself up a tad. My muscles protested, still sore and aching from the hell they'd been put through with the icy, near-death experience. Getting my ass kicked and almost dying hurt like a bitch. That and punching Impersonator boy in the face after he admitted to Stronghold that he'd followed him down into his parents' Secret Sanctum while impersonating me just to score a date with Grayson…

Those beautiful blue eyes looked up at me, embarrassed. Gently, he wrapped his hand around one of my wrists and guided it down between us to curl my fingers around his erection, wary of the bandages around my palm.

Eyebrows going up, I snorted. "Oh. Damn, you'd think you were paying for it or something. You're hard work, Stronghold." Still, I moved my fingers tantalizingly up and down his cock. The _flier_ lifted his hips slightly, trying for more friction. I watched him wet his lips and press them together, whimpering.

My muscles shook with the strain. I ground my teeth, frustrated at the weakness of my body. The brawn seemed to notice and carefully began to sit up. With cautious hands, he pressed me down to rest beside him, pushing me onto my back. I sighed in relief, grateful for his concern, and kept on idly stroking him.

Stronghold traced a finger along the bruises and welts in the middle of my chest that the wicked little contraption had left behind, compliments of Royal Pain in the Ass.

"Are you still sore?" He asked, leaning down to very softly kiss my marred skin.

"A little," I admitted, combing my fingers into his hair. "Getting my ass kicked by the bitch…again…well, it hurt."

"How's your ego?" He asked, looking up at me, smiling tenderly.

"Interested," I grunted back. He took a deep breath in as I twisted my wrist. The flier glanced down and bit at his lip.

There he was getting stuck in his head again. He was probably thinking that I should rest more, that I shouldn't exert myself and blah blah blah.

"You don't have to move at all," He finally said quietly, moving my hand off of his arousal. I cocked an eyebrow, staring questioningly into his wonderful blue eyes. The brawn slid down my body, trailing warm kisses along my skin until he wrapped his mouth around my cock.

Oh, I loved that mouth. He'd certainly gotten better at this. The only thing is that before his _inexperience_ made it pleasure torture. Now he did it on purpose. I could feel myself touch the back of his throat when he swallowed. And oh fuck, did he suck very well…

A pleased groan made its way out of me. What point was there in holding back? I laid bare in so many ways before the flier. I didn't have to protect myself from him, nor him from myself. I could face the truth without flinching away now. I did love him. I accepted it. I accepted his love in return. And,_ oh, fuck, I'm gonna…_

Then the moist heat of his mouth was pulling back. He left me rutting against empty air, growling in frustration, but too exhausted to do much more than a verbal protest.

"Stronghold," I warned.

"Hang on," He breathed, a little raspy, pre-cum on his lips.

Will moved back up my body to straddle me. I felt my cock nudge against the cleft of his ass and wet my lips in anticipation.

"Is this okay?" The flier asked.

Nodding enthusiastically, I replied, "Yeah, I'm definitely liking where this is heading."

He smirked, leaning down to kiss me.

Lazily, my tongue moved with his. Tasting myself on him wasn't so bad I suppose. I wasn't there to taste myself. I was there to get him to react. Therefore, I sucked his lip into my mouth and harshly dragged my teeth along it.

Gasping, he asked, "Where's the lube?"

That earned him a scoff from me. I dropped my head into the pillows and shook my head up at his hungry, bewildered expression. "Good luck finding-huh…no, wait,"

Arching my back a little, I dug under myself. Then I nodded and produced the bottle, "Yeah, I thought it was a rock or something at first."

After excitedly taking the bottle and squirting some of the liquid onto his fingers, he leaned down to kiss me again. I wasn't going to let him pull away again. I slid my hand into his hair to keep him pressed firmly against my mouth.

_Fuck, that little moan was hot…_

He seemed pleased enough to grasp our cocks together far too lightly with his slick grip.

"I love you," he sighed.

"Then a little harder, please," I groaned against his lips.

The brawn laughed in response, and picked up the lube bottle again. I watched him bite his lip as he drizzled the last of it over my hard length. "We're gonna have to get more." He breathed. Goosebumps rose all along his flesh. The brawn shivered with anticipation, coating me thoroughly with a fist. Quickly, my lover was losing control. And I fucking loved watching it.

"Say you love me," he murmured, pressing his forehead down against mine as he lined me up under him.

"I fucking love you," I breathed back laughingly, tightening my hand in his hair. "The blow-jobs, the hand-jobs and the fuckfests are just an added bonus."

His chuckle broke with a gasp as he began to slowly sink down onto me. The tightness of his ever-renewed muscles and endurance made it feel like the first time each and every time we did this. The head of my erection moved past the constricting threshold, pressing deeper into the delightful warmth that was his body.

"Is that w-what you," He started, fairly strained.

"Breathe, Baby," I instructed, doing my best to follow my own advice.

"I am, I am," he said, "Is that what you call, ngh, this?" He took in a deep breath, sinking down a few more inches. "A…a fuckfest?"

"Is there any other word to describe this?" I growled, nipping at his lip.

"Bliss?" He replied, leaning back to seat himself full in my lap. He gasped and moaned, body flinching as I brushed over that sweet spot. It had to be the same for him. Always like the first time, over and over. The heat in my cock could rival the heat in my heart, and that had to be a wonderful feeling inside him, not to brag.

"Yeah," I grunted, "Something like that," and I gave a weak thrust upwards.

I watched his mouth drop open and heard a cry escape. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his neck and I slid my hands down to grasp at his thighs. The muscles there were tensed hard under my hands and I tried to massage them into languidness.

He sighed, dropping his head. His body moved up a little and sunk back down. I trailed a teasing bit of fire up, up, up from his thighs, along his flanks and back down his chest. This drove a series of inane mutterings and long whines of ecstasy from the brawn. His palms pressed down against my chest as I moved a burning fingertip down between his abs.

"Your turn to keep still, War. Last thing I need is you, uh! Oh gods…Last thing I need is you pulling something…" He licked his lips and closed his bleary blues. "Then I'll have to carry you back down this fucking mountain."

"You wouldn't know a mountain if you saw one, suburb boy." I grunted, trying to thrust up again.

"Would so,"

"Yeah whatever, sure. Just fucking move."

* * *

**~One Week Later~**

**~Will's POV~ **

"Happy Birthday," I smirked, leaning up to kiss him. The pyro groaned, begrudgingly letting me press my lips chastely to his. But then he pulled away, placing a large palm directly over my face to push me away. "There's not some stupid surprise party waiting inside for me is there?" Warren grumbled. His expression was tinged with aggravation and a clear warning.

"No." I grumbled back teasingly, moving his hand off of my face. "Why would I dare share you with other people when it's clear that you're in such a _wonderful_ mood?"

Warren rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Pissant."

"Bitch." I jabbed back playfully, fingers idly tracing the tattooed flames on his forearms.

His eyes seemed to soften slightly, so I leaned up to kiss him again. This time around, it got a little more heated. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel how his body temperature rose under my groping hands. The making out, and the sex had picked up enthusiastically from where we'd left off as if it had never stopped. And that was especially because my parents had conveniently won that office trip to Hawaii…empty houses were often great places to relieve teenaged, raging, sex-crazy hormones.

His warm tongue pressed into my mouth, and at that I forced myself to find some composure.

I pulled back, breathing a little harder. The pyro didn't seem at all affected like I was. He just affectionately moved his hand back through my hair. With those dark chocolate eyes, he stared softly down at me.

Swallowing, I smiled, and took his hand. "C'mon inside. My parents aren't around. They're still in Hawaii."

I opened the door and pulled him inside. He let me do so without resistance. But once he looked up, everyone jumped out.

"SURPRISE!"

Layla and Zack blew on party-blowers; the kind that unroll with a ridiculous noise. Silvanus and Ethan waved little clacking noisemakers. Magenta threw bits of confetti into the air above the pyro so it landed in his long, dark hair. They all wore red party hats and there was a huge banner that read: "Happy Birthday, Warren!" in fantastic, behemoth red and black letters. Red and black streamers curled through every doorway. Hell, I even had red and black balloons tied to every piece of furniture.

Yeah, I'd gone out of my way to make this as cheesy as possible…

The disbelief on his face wasn't of surprise at all. It was more like more than mildly irritated disbelief. His face was mostly smooth, mouth open only slightly. But his eyes were hard when they turned to glare down at me. I grinned stupidly back up at him, trying with difficultly not to laugh. "I lied." I managed to get out with only a few minor titters, making a show of shrugging.

"Happy Birthday!" Layla cried, laughingly blowing on the party-blower.

At that, the firebird turned purposefully, and took a step out of the door.

"Oh, nope! No, ya don't!" I laughed, taking a firm hold of his wrist. I pulled him back inside and shut the door. As I did, I looked smilingly up at him. He was staring at the doorknob, as if willing himself out of the house. Then the pyro sighed hard, like you do when your parents ask you to do something you really, really don't feel like doing. _Oh, he's irritated alright._

"You haven't even seen the cake yet!" I chuckled.

He reached up and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. I turned to catch the couple of party hats that Zack tossed to me. I put one on and reached toward Warren, only for show.

"If you try to put one of those stupid things on me, Stronghold, I swear I will fucking _barbecue_ you." He said, his tone a little louder, very firm and very much a legitimate threat.

Laughing, I set the extra hat down on the table by the door. "C'mon. Cake. Birthday cake."

He grumbled, but let me lead him into the dining room where he cringed at all the decorations. I set him down in a chair at the end of the table and hurried into the kitchen. I heard the others sitting down around him, chattering excitedly. Layla came in laughing, and started gathering forks as I took the flame-shaped cake out of the fridge.

"He's absolutely hating this you know." The nature-lover informed me.

Nodding, I replied, "Oh, yeah, I know. But the fact that he didn't just set the decorations on fire and storm out means he's tolerating it. Because we're his friends." I chuckled, but paused before I speared the icing with the candles.

"D'ya think these are too much?"

Layla came to my side, looked over the cake and nodded her head, "Yup. But you've gone this far, might as well go all the way!"

I scoffed at the redhead and she snorted, "So to speak."

So, just to put the candle on the cake (ha, pun) I set seventeen of them into the heart of the fire, and lit them with the igniter.

Oh, we went all the way alright, singing _Happy Birthday_ for the new seventeen year old. And oh, he hated it! Once the song was done, he sat there looking dully at the cake, letting the candles burn.

I put my hand on his shoulder and he glared up at me.

"You gotta make a wish."

Then there was a spark of fire in his eyes. I knew instantly that he was about to snap, and we were in for it. The pyro reached out and gathered all of the candle flames into his palms, balled them up and launched them…right at the second obnoxious banner I had hanging above the doorway to the kitchen.

The paper went up in a spark of bright orange fire. A flame jumped to the streamers around the room and out into the other rooms. I heard all of the decorations going up in smoke.

I watched as everything fell to the floor in mere ashes and the balloons all began to swell with heat and then pop. At each small explosion of air, shrieks were driven out of my friends. The others looked considerably shocked and subdued when everything fell silent and still. I just looked at Warren, eyebrow cocked.

"Oh, look. My wish came true." He said, sitting back in the chair and crossing his arms. I couldn't help just laughing. I couldn't help it with the stubbornness in his expression, the utter ire he had for the situation. But he was still here. He may have burned down all of the decorations I'd spent two laughter-filled hours putting up, but he was still here.

Months ago he would've just taken off on his motorcycle.

So, I stood up and moved beside him. I put the knife into his warm hand and guided it to slice into the cake.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Stronghold,"

Taking his chin in my free hand, I tilted his head up and kissed him gently. The firebird stiffened, but accepted a kiss for the first time in front of other people.

"Well, that's hot." I heard Magenta say.

"…Are you being punny again?" Ethan asked.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

My lips moved softly against his before I trailed them over to whisper very quietly into his ear, "Later, when everyone's gone, I'm gonna blow you…and then I'm gonna fuck you…slowly."

And I swear, as I pulled away, I saw him smirk before he averted his gaze. I also recognized the light tinge of fiery blood in his cheeks as he did.

"Well, well…you got Warren Peace to smile at his birthday party," Silvanus commented, sipping from a glass of water.

"Magenta, I-I thought," Zack stammered, "Aren't I-"

The Goth rolled her eyes with a sigh, "Zack, chill out. You're practically radioactive."

There was a brief moment of silence before Ethan made the accusation, "You're still being punny!"

Warren groaned at their squabbling, "Absolutely hating this, you know."

I put my hand through his hair tenderly, "Yeah, I know, but you still love me." Then I pulled a small dark chocolate bar out of my pocket. I hoped he recalled mentioning to me that he didn't mind the occasional piece of chocolate…and smile that I remembered.

He did smile. He even chuckled, taking it and turning it in his hands. "Fuck if I knew why."

"Bitch."

"Pissant."

**The End**


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